


Breaking and Entering

by Cavatica



Series: Breaking and Entering [1]
Category: Animorphs (TV), Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: 90s references, Alien boyfriends, Bisexuality, Board Games, Canon-Typical Violence, Cooking Lessons, F/M, Kissing, M/M, Meet the Family, Minor Character Death, Mutual Pining, Romantic Friendship, Slow Burn, Team Dynamics, dad jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-14 07:09:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 48,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8003170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cavatica/pseuds/Cavatica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marco has some personal revelations and decides to keep a journal about his feelings. When that journal is taken by a teacher, he formulates a plan to get it back, and the only person he can ask to help is Ax.</p><p>Marco realizes his feelings for Ax and struggles with what he thinks is an unrequited crush. As usual, when a mission requires a tech team, Marco and Ax are paired up, which leads to a lot of embarrassing encounters with Marco’s dad and Nora (like seriously, a lot of awkward family moments). The mission goes bad, forcing the two to confront their feelings directly. There’s also video games, board games, and Ax gets to eat a whole pizza in like 15 minutes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [IoniaFletcher](http://archiveofourown.org/users/IoniaFletcher/pseuds/IoniaFletcher) for reading it over and encouraging me while I write. You are amazing. Thanks to [mops](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mops/pseuds/mops) for being the patron saint of the Axmarco fandom.

He wasn’t sure about when he started to notice. At some point, he realized that his eyes lingered a little longer on Scottie Pippen’s muscles than Jake’s did and that he spent an excessive amount of time thinking about how Oscar De La Hoya had a really pretty face for such a good boxer. He was fairly sure he was still interested in the lovely ladies of Baywatch, but he also couldn’t keep denying to himself that he spent just as much time looking up David Beckham on AltaVista as he did Carmen Electra. He was pretty sure he hated himself more with every single search, but it also wasn’t going away, no matter how much he blustered about hot babes.

He did not need _this_ on top of everything else he had to deal with. 

Marco had been to therapy more times than he could count. Not for being gay or bi, or whatever, but after his mom’s (alleged) death, his dad had sent him to therapy once a week until Marco begged him to just let him wallow by himself. He didn’t think it helped, but he also didn’t think he ever told the therapist anything of substance. It was his own fault, but it’s not like therapy would bring his mom back. And since then, he had been through so much worse, not least of which was finding out his mom wasn’t dead at all. Maybe he needed therapy now more than ever. Probably. But it’s not like he even could tell the therapist anything now. _‘Oh yeah, I thought my mom was dead but it turns out she faked her death because she’s actually being controlled by an evil alien. Right, yes, aliens are real and they’re on Earth. Oh and by the way, my friends and I turn into animals and fight them. It’s honestly not going too well and I think I’m gonna die almost every day.’_

_‘And also I think I like guys.’_

Putting it into that perspective made it seem beyond stupid to even worry about. But he did worry about it. There’s no way he could deal with being teased for liking guys on top of being short, having a dead mom, and being the cutest, most charming and hilarious nerd in school. And there was no way he could tell Jake, either. What if it made things weird? Jake meant everything to him and he knew Jake felt the same way. He didn’t want that to change. It wasn’t that he was into Jake. But he couldn’t stand the thought of Jake thinking of him differently, or worse, _also worrying_ about something stupid like this.

He’d been to therapy. He certainly didn’t want to go back and be forced to lie even more, but he had learned a thing or two while he was actually attending. Like, if you feel like you can’t talk to anyone about your feelings, you should write them down. Obviously, he knew he could never write about his life as a doomed child soldier, but he could write down his feelings about Scottie’s amazing biceps. Maybe keeping a totally benign journal was a good cover. 

‘Look, I totally journaled on September 3rd and I didn’t mention trying to infiltrate the Yeerk pool, but check out this essay about why Captain Sisko shaving his head and growing a goatee was the best thing to ever happen for the hotness levels on Star Trek.’

He felt like an idiot keeping a journal, especially an embarrassing journal about his _feelings_ , but reading through it actually made him feel kinda normal. When he read it, he could pretend that he was just struggling with self acceptance rather than struggling to stay alive from mission to mission. Plus, he had to admit, he made some incredibly witty observations. 

“Marky Mark, is that your diary?” He felt someone come up behind him, too close to his left shoulder. He felt a cold pit in his stomach and clapped the small black leather notebook closed. He turned to the big guy behind him, rolling his eyes and cocking his head in the same motion. The guy was named Wallace and he was pretty huge as a result of being held back a couple grades. Dude was old enough to vote, why didn't he have better things to worry about? 

“I can't see your diary? What are you writing about, getting your first pube?” Wallace sneered and grabbed for the journal. Marco jerked it back, but the first attempt to grab it had actually been a fakeout and Wallace grabbed the journal from behind Marco as he pulled it back. 

“Hey!” Marco jumped out of his seat, shoulders tense and face burning. So much for this great coping mechanism. “Give that back!” Marco cringed internally that his reaction was so pathetic.

Wallace laughed an obnoxious laugh and held the book up out of Marco’s reach. Marco cursed his own height and the fact that Wallace was an overgrown giant. He didn't try to grab the book. No, he clearly had too much dignity. He could feel the hairs on his arms bristling. The desire to grab Wallace by the shirt collar and just wail on him washed over him and he pushed it back. _Save it for the battlefield, Marco. You can't Hulk out in your regular life. Keep it cool._ Instead, he just crossed his arms and glared at Wallace. 

By this point, the other students in the World History class had settled into their seats and the teacher quietly came up behind Wallace and whisked the book out of his hand with a pointed clearing of his throat. “Please have a seat Wallace, Marco.” 

Wallace complied, but Marco hesitated. “Um, sir, can I please have that back?”

The teacher flipped through it lightly before answering, “This doesn't appear to be your notes on the Ottoman Empire and you don't need any additional distractions. I'll be keeping it in my desk. Let’s talk after class.”

Marco gulped and took his seat, rubbing his hands together nervously. 

~*~

Marco had spoken to the teacher after class, but he had just been lectured on keeping on task and his dismal grades. How many times was he going to have to hear that he was squandering his potential by not putting in effort? He needed all his brain power for planning guerilla strikes and hilarious jokes. Awash with humiliation and anxiety, Marco accepted the verdict that he would get it back when his grades came up. At least, he accepted it while he was in the room with the teacher. When he got outside, the bright sun beat down on him and the crisp air bit at his skin, and he felt the shackles of his regular life fall off. He'd flown in that sky as a bird. He'd seen other suns. He would do everything in his substantial power to get his stupid journal back. It was a Moleskine; it was expensive. 

He needed to do it as soon as possible because he didn't want to give the teacher time to read it. He hoped he hadn't already. It had to be tonight. 

He was obviously going to sneak in as some kind of bug and steal the journal after hours. The plan didn't have to be too complicated, but he knew better than to run a mission without backup. He obviously couldn't tell Jake, his super responsible fearless leader, that he wanted to morph for personal gain to steal a stupid journal from school. If he asked Cassie, she'd just tell Jake. Rachel was always ready to go on a mission, but he didn't want her knowing about his _journal_ \-- he'd never hear the end of it. Tobias… He might help but he'd ask too many questions about why it was even important and why he was keeping a journal in the first place and he didn't want to have to have that discussion _with Tobias_ , whose life was more shitty than Marco’s would ever be, even considering his mother was Visser One, his dad was dating his math teacher, and he was bisexual or something. 

Ax. He was going to ask Ax to run this mission with him. He was dutiful to ‘Prince Jake,’ but he had certainly done things behind Jake’s back that were more dangerous than this. And he and Marco had built a good friendship over the years. And if Ax found out why the contents of the journal were so embarrassing… Well, he didn't know how Andalites felt about gay stuff, but he hoped Ax wouldn't get it. Hopefully Andalites weren’t even worse than humans about sexuality. Marco laughed to himself and bet that was the case, because that would be his luck.

He walked back to his house to put his stuff away and wrote his dad a note so he wouldn't worry when he got home from work. 

_Doing homework at the library. Be back before 8. Love, Marco_

Perfect. His go-to excuse of ‘hanging with Jake’ wouldn’t work this time because his dad might call Jake to check on him, and then Jake would be clued into the fact Marco was scheming. Plus, his dad would think he was diligently working on his schoolwork. Marco mentally patted himself on the back and he grabbed a handful of cheetos on his way up to his room. He needed a snack since he wouldn’t get a chance to eat until after dinner time. He munched, wiping the orange dust on his pants as he tossed his shirt off into his pile of laundry. He finished the last crunchy morsel, automatically sucking the cheese off his fingers before unbuttoning and wriggling out of his jeans. He tossed those into his other pile of laundry. Really, most of his floor was kind of a pile of laundry. He had bigger things to worry about than the tidiness of his room. 

Under his clothes, he was already wearing his morphing outfit, as all the other Animorphs did at all times. He was basically Spider-Man -- always ready for a superhero emergency. He opened his window, noting that the slight chill in the air meant his dad would almost definitely notice he left the window open. Oh well, he was _so responsible_ for spending his night at the library, his dad would just have to forgive him. 

He focused on the osprey stored somewhere in the proverbial hard drive of whatever the morphing technology enabled inside him. As he pictured the bird of prey’s fierce eyes, sharp beak, and tearing talons, his body slowly shifted and squelched its way into the form of the osprey. When he was two feet tall and covered in white and dull brown feathers, he opened his wings and fluttered to the edge of the window. He pushed off the windowsill and opened his wings to their full almost six foot span. A cool breeze pushed him upwards and the evolutionary engineering that built his osprey wings meant that he didn’t have to flap much and could soar higher and for long distances with little effort. As many times as they had done these morphs, being a bird of prey never stopped being cool.

‹Marco, Cassie, is that one of you?›

 _Speak of the devil,_ Marco thought. Marco scanned the sky with his powerful eyes that could see hundreds of times further than any human’s. He spotted Tobias in the distance, basically just a dot. Of course Tobias had noticed him first. After all, he was a professional bird. 

‹It’s me, Tobias.› He answered. He was surprised to see his hawk friend so close to town; he was still miles away from the part of the woods Tobias and Ax called home.

‹Hey, fancy meeting you here.› Tobias’ thoughts ‘sounded’ jovial. Maybe he’d just eaten a particularly tasty rodent.

‹Yeah, I was heading your way. I need to talk to Ax.› Marco thought briefly how cool it was that they were still nowhere near each other and could still communicate so easily. It was almost as cool as having a top of the line cell phone. 

‹That’s cool. I’m meeting Rachel after her gymnastics meet.› 

_Ah, so that’s why he’s in such a good mood._ Marco was pleased at his luck, since Tobias having a date meant that he would get to discuss his plan with Ax in private without having to make an excuse to get away from their resident bird boy. Since Marco and Tobias weren’t heading the same way, they quickly reached the limits of their thought-speak range. Marco wished Tobias luck with Xena and Tobias told him to not get into too much trouble with Ax, before they both faded out. It was just a casual farewell, but Tobias’ words felt like a bad sign to Marco.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ax helps Marco retrieve his journal from the school. Everything goes as planned, until Marco feels compelled to reveal the journal's contents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing chapter summaries is weird, guys. I feel like I'm writing the back of the book blurb. Thanks again to [IoniaFletcher](http://archiveofourown.org/users/IoniaFletcher/pseuds/IoniaFletcher) for being the most supportive beta and to [mops](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mops/pseuds/mops) for showing up literally anywhere I search for Marco, and also commenting on the last chapter, yay!

Marco soared over the forest near Cassie’s farm and banked toward the territory that Ax and Tobias shared. He circled high above the area and called out in private thought-speak to Ax, ‹Hey, are you down there?›

A response came back immediately, ‹Yes, Marco. I am in my scoop enjoying _But Wait There’s More_.›

Marco would have smiled if he had lips. He never knew for sure if Ax was joking or not, but his taste in television was always amusing, regardless. ‹Knock, knock? Can I drop in?›

‹I would prefer you didn’t drop anything into my dwelling and I have no door on which to knock.› Ax paused, ‹But you are welcome to join me. They have spilled a dark liquid on the artificial grass.›

Marco continued to circle, letting his altitude drop slowly. He landed on a nearby tree that had an eyeline to where Ax stood in front of his TV, watching a long form infomercial for some kind of all purpose cleanser. Ax swiveled a stalk eye to look at Marco’s osprey morph. His other stalk eye looked around alertly, keeping watch in all directions. His main eyes continued to watch red wine being magically lifted from a beige shag carpet. “All this for $19.99… But wait, there’s more!” the infomercial host enthused. Marco watched as Ax’s eyes crinkled in his characteristic Andalite smile. That must be his favorite part.

Marco fluttered to the ground and demorphed back into his charming self. He was immediately aware of the cool autumn air and the creeping dusk. He crossed his arms; his bike shorts and compression shirt wouldn’t do much to keep him warm. He stepped up to the edge of Ax’s scoop entrance and raised a hand in an awkward wave. “Gonna buy that to clean your scoop?” he joked, indicating the colorful plastic bucket on the TV.

‹No. This is not the outdoor cleaning product. That will be presented after three more ‘But Wait, There’s More’s.›

Again, Marco didn’t know if Ax was joking or not, but this time he felt his mouth pull into an amused half smile. “Yeah, this is a good one.” Marco allowed himself to watch the host of the infomercial enthusiastically smear barbecued pork on a shirt. So weird.

‹Have you come to watch television programming with me?› Ax asked. ‹I assume you came with a specific purpose.›

“Uh, yeah.” Marco ran his hand through the short hair near the back of his neck. He was suddenly hesitant. “I wanted to know if you would back me up on a low key mission. And not tell Jake.”

‹I see.› Ax turned his infomercial off and looked at Marco with his main eyes. His stalk eyes remained watchful of their surroundings. ‹It is a lot to ask to keep a mission from Prince Jake, even if it is, as you say, ‘low key.’›

“I know. You know I would usually ask him.”

‹Yes, Prince Jake is your shorm.›

Marco paused and then slowly agreed, “Yeah. My shorm. So, I wouldn’t usually keep it from him, but the situation is sensitive and he doesn’t like us morphing for personal reasons.” Marco explained that he had been keeping a journal, what had happened, and his plan to recover it.

‹I see.› Ax touched his chin with his delicate, many-fingered hand in a very human-like gesture. ‹I will help you and I will not tell Prince Jake.›

A wave of warm relief flooded through Marco’s chest. “Thanks, Ax. I really appreciate it.”

~*~ 

They waited until dark watching Beverly Hills 90210. “This show isn’t the same since Shannen Doherty left,” Marco remarked.

‹Yes,› Ax agreed, ‹It is different because Brenda is no longer present.›

Marco looked over at Ax and smiled at what was either a dry joke or sincere agreement. Marco suspected Ax was a comic genius, almost at the same level as Marco himself. “You ready to go?”

Ax confirmed he needed no preparation. Marco morphed back to his osprey and Ax morphed his northern harrier. Ax’s grey harrier was smaller than Marco’s osprey and naturally flew closer to the ground, so it was easy for them to not seem too conspicuous by flying too close together like a weird, mismatched bird party. Marco scoped out the school when they were still about half mile away -- since it was dark, his superior bird of prey vision was more limited than it would have been during the day. He didn’t think there were any activities at this time on Tuesdays, and sure enough, the school windows were dark and the parking lot was empty.

Marco and Ax landed behind the school near the dumpsters and demorphed. They re-morphed quickly to flies. Marco had noted on his quick stakeout where the air conditioning vents were and directed Ax to follow him. He was pretty sure the A/C or heat weren’t going to come on, since it was the mild part of Autumn. Luckily, he was right and they made it out of the ventilation system with minimal backtracking and getting lost, using the flies’ senses to feel out which turns were likely to lead to the interior of the school. They buzzed out of the vents into a large room Marco immediately recognized was the cafeteria, because the fly’s senses picked up the smells and tastes of old, crappy food immediately.

‹This room is almost as exciting to my fly body as the garbage we morphed next to outside,› Ax remarked.

‹There’s not much difference,› Marco replied, zipping toward the double doors that led to the hall. Luckily for their tiny fly bodies, one of the doors was still propped open. This was going so much better than he planned that serious dread was starting to nibble at Marco. He was great at plans, but he couldn’t remember the last time things had gone so smoothly. Marco continued to curse himself internally as they flew under the crack in the door to his World History class. They buzzed around the perimeter, verifying there were no people hiding there and Ax demorphed first, just in case. Ax sounded the all clear and Marco joined him.

Marco retrieved the journal from the teacher’s desk and held it tightly, resisting the embarrassing urge to hug his book. Ax stood near the door at an angle he wouldn’t be seen with his tail poised to strike. Andalites made great lookouts. Marco walked over to the window and opened it quietly. He let the book drop out onto the grass below the window and watched it land with a gentle thump. He hoped the grass wasn’t too damp; he didn’t want to rescue his journal only to ruin the leather.

“Okay, Ax,” Marco whispered, “You remorph and go out there with the journal and I’ll come back out through the vents.” Ax nodded, yet another mannerism it seemed he had picked up from his human friends, and began morphing back into a fly. Marco turned away as Ax shrank, bulged, and squelched. As much as he had come to like and appreciate Ax personally, watching an Andalite morph into any kind of insect was worse than watching his human friends. Even turned away, he could hear the gross sounds of Ax’s long tail whipping into his fly abdomen and his stalk eyes absorbing into his head with a pop for each one. When Ax was done, Marco looked down to see his friend, now a fly, cleaning his giant fly eyeballs and buzzing his gossamer fly wings before taking off out the window to settle on the journal. Confident that fly-Ax would keep his multifaceted eye on his journal, Marco gently shut the window.

Marco prepared himself to morph again, taking a deep breath. He could feel the exhaustion setting in from successive morphing and he still wasn’t done. He let the air out of his lungs slowly and took another breath, focusing on the fly again. This was such a stupid and simple task to require them to do so much strenuous morphing. Marco berated himself in his own head as his arms withered into disgusting hairy sticks and his vision fractured like breaking glass. He’d caused so much stress with something so simple. He _knew_ everything he learned in therapy was BS.

Feeling his morph complete, he buzzed under the door frame and back the way they came until he returned to the dumpster. He demorphed and walked around the building, making sure to be very sneaky about it. He picked up the book, which he noted had a fly sitting very calmly on the edge of the spine. He walked casually away from the school and picked up his pace when he got to the main street that led to his house.

He arrived home and hurried up to his room before his dad could come out and say anything to him. He entered and saw his dad had closed the window, as expected. He shut and locked the door and said, “Okay, Ax, you’re clear to demorph.” He put the book down on his desk as Ax zipped down to the floor and regained his Andalite form. Marco was exhausted and assumed Ax must be too, although he didn’t show it in any way Marco could discern. And Ax still had to get back to the woods. Marco felt a pang of guilt for his alien friend.

Ax walked over to the desk and touched the small black book lightly. ‹It was very careless of you to write this.›

Marco winced. “Well. Yeah, I guess. But um, it didn’t have any Animorphs stuff in it. It’s just like, my personal thoughts.”

Ax’s expression registered surprise. ‹Oh. I assumed it would compromise our mission.›

Marco felt his face and neck flush with warmth. “Yeah. I guess I let you think that so you would help me.”

Sometimes you could kind of feel Ax’s emotions through his thought-speak, even though his expressions and body language were hard for humans to read. He ‘sounded’ annoyed. ‹If it is just your personal thoughts, why was it imperative to recover it?›

Marco looked down at his feet and dug his toes into the carpet. “It just has stuff in it I didn’t want people finding out about. Not even Jake.”

‹So you felt I was favorable to manipulate into a trivial task that endangered us all?› The edges of Ax’s thoughts felt angry instead of annoyed, which made Marco feel even worse.

“It’s not that I wanted to manipulate you, man.” Marco buried his face in his hands and pulled them down his cheeks. This was definitely going worse than he’d hoped, although it’s not like he hadn’t expected that, so really he just felt stupid for having hope. “I just felt like of everyone, you’d probably ask the fewest questions.” _Well, that wasn’t the right thing to say,_ Marco thought as soon as he’d said it.  


‹I will not tell Prince Jake, but you led me on this mission under false pretense and you are aware of that. This is not a thing friends do.›

“Yeah, well, I guess I’m not a very good friend,” Marco mumbled. He took the book in his hands and flipped the pages, scanning his own small, uneven penmanship. He bit his lower lip and offered the book to Ax, open on a page that was fairly explicit about his feelings. “This is what I’m trying to keep secret.”

Ax took the journal, his extra fingers curling around the covers in a way that should have looked strange, but registered as graceful, which was how most Andalite features appeared. His bright green set of main eyes focused intently on the words while his left stalk eye stayed trained on Marco and his right stalk eye swiveled between the window and the door. Marco admired that about Ax, the multitasking and vigilance. ‹What is this supposed to elucidate?›

Marco was relieved. Either Ax was very dense about human feelings or Andalites really had no cultural stigma about same gender attraction. He crossed his fingers and hoped for the latter. “I like guys, Ax. Like, I’m romantically attracted to males. Um, probably not exclusively.”

Ax raised his main eyes to meet Marco’s eyes momentarily and Marco searched their sharply intelligent alien depths to try to gauge Ax’s reaction. Ax looked back down at the journal. ‹I see. In human culture, is this not considered a natural variance?›

Marco tried to control his relieved exhalation, but still puffed out a sharp breath he’d been unaware he was holding. “In this part of the world, it’s not considered normal. Some people think it’s morally wrong, some people think it’s gross. It’s kind of rare, although not like, rare enough to justify hating anyone. In my opinion. You know how some humans arbitrarily hate people with different skin colors? It’s like that, only most people know racism is awful.”

Ax shut the book and placed it back on Marco’s table. ‹I understand. I’m sorry you feel this is a secret you must keep from our friends. Frankly, to me it’s quite boring,› his thought-speak tone took on a bit of his characteristic haughtiness when speaking of dumb human things, but he seemed to realize he should add, ‹No offense.›

Marco actually laughed. It felt good, after worrying about this all day. He could tell Ax was still annoyed with him, but he’d softened upon realizing that Marco was distressed. “How do Andalites feel about it?” he asked as he crossed the room to sit on his bed, the stress of the day rolling over him like a tidal wave.

‹It’s unremarkable. Andalites keep their private lives private. It’s somewhat encouraged for males with this preference to become warriors, because it is assumed they will be able to have more fulfilling and meaningful lives than males who only prefer females, since their mates generally must be left behind. Separation from one’s mate can be very distracting, so it is better to have a mate among your comrades if that is an option. Additionally, we feel that strong bonds among warriors can only make us a stronger force overall. It deepens the stakes, if you will.›

“That’s cool,” Marco remarked. “It’s almost the opposite in this culture. Stereotypically, they say men who’re attracted to other men are less strong.”

‹Like many things humans believe, this makes no sense to me.›

“Me neither, Ax-man.”

Ax walked across Marco’s room toward the window, looking around and taking in Marco’s belongings, but keeping one stalk eye focused on Marco. He gingerly stepped around the piles of laundry and Marco felt another wave of embarrassment. ‹Do you really think this knowledge would change our friends’ opinions of you?›

Marco shrugged. “Probably not. But it’s not something I want them to worry about, when there’s already so much. It’s not something _I_ want to deal with.”

Ax trained all his eyes on Marco and Marco felt small, but also sensed that Ax understood. ‹You keep a lot of secrets, Marco. Isn’t that also difficult to deal with?›

“Yeah,” Marco admitted. “I’m glad I told you.”

‹I will keep your secrets, Marco,› Ax assured him, and the feeling Marco got from his thought speak was complete sincerity.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco has a free Saturday afternoon and teaches Ax the joys of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.' Yes, really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Put on your silly pants, because it's about to get wild. [IoniaFletcher](http://archiveofourown.org/users/IoniaFletcher/pseuds/IoniaFletcher) told me it wasn't too much, but it might be too much.

Marco worried about the teacher noticing the journal was gone the next day, but either the teacher forgot or just didn’t care. Either way, Marco didn’t bring the journal back to school, just in case, and the subject never came up again. He almost wished he hadn’t gotten Ax wrapped up in retrieving it, since it seemed the teacher really had no interest in the journal or its contents. But Marco had to admit that telling Ax and seeing his disinterested reaction was worth it. Maybe there was merit to telling someone your secrets, after all. 

Who knew Ax was such a good accomplice? Well, probably Tobias, since they spent all their non-mission time together. Marco was starting to think Tobias had the right idea, since lately every time Jake asked him if he wanted to hang out, it turned out he’d also invited Cassie. Of course, Marco _liked_ Cassie just fine, even if she was always wrong when it came to missions. But personally? She was fine. He was just so tired of third wheeling what should have been their dates, but either Cassie was too nervous to go on real dates, or Jake was too gutless to ask. 

Here he was again, at a real actual restaurant, sitting next to Jake, who was openly mooning at Cassie while absently forking his penne. She was eating hers and would occasionally look up at Jake and bashfully refocus on her linguine, with a comment about how good it was. Marco sighed and sucked loudly on his empty soda. Both his friends jumped a little, as if they’d forgotten he was there, and Jake threw him a glare. Marco returned it with a disgusted grimace and an exaggerated eyeroll. 

“So, any cool animals at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center lately?” Jake asked, as if they didn’t gather there weekly to discuss their communal deathwish. Suddenly possessed by a conversational demon, Cassie began to enthuse about the animals that she’d treated over the last week, including an opossum that could only be given its antibiotics through suppository. Suddenly Marco didn’t want his tortellini. 

This was agony. Marco even took time to examine if he was feeling jealous. Did he hate that he didn’t get time with his best bud anymore? Of course not; after all, they got to risk their lives together all the time. The only thing he resented was they pretty much didn’t get to have normal lives anymore. That was probably the reason Jake scheduled Marco time and Cassie time together -- shove all the normal stuff together because normal doesn’t fit anymore. That wasn’t Cassie’s fault. Marco didn’t even miss his friend, he missed what they used to have that they couldn’t have anymore. He couldn’t even remember what that felt like.

“Oh man,” Marco stood and pretended to check a watch he wasn’t wearing. “I totally forgot me and my dad were gonna go see a game today! Sorry guys, I gotta go!” He dropped $10 on the table next to his half eaten plate of tortellini and shoved his hands in his pockets as he power walked out of the restaurant. He felt great about leaving them alone to have an actual date. He also felt great about feeling great, since he’d been trying to figure out definitively if he had a crush on Jake and was almost certain that was a negative. 

He walked down the street a bit before realizing it was 12:30 on a Saturday and he suddenly had no plans. He weighed his options and strongly considered a really long nap. Instead, he decided to stash his clothes in an alley behind Blockbuster -- he knew he’d be back in a few days because _The Blair Witch Project_ tape was due back on Tuesday.

Wearing only his stupid morphing outfit, he ducked behind the Blockbuster dumpster and shoved his clothes underneath. He hoped nobody found them and decided they were actual garbage, because those were his favorite jeans. He brushed his hands off on his thighs and focused on his osprey. The ground rushed toward him and he was suddenly very aware of how dirty this particular alley was. Nothing like being small to make gross things look big. He made a mental note to wash his clothes on hot when he retrieved them. 

When he was fully morphed, he bird-walked further out into the alley and preened his feathers a bit to make sure he wasn’t a dirty bird. If Tobias was around, he didn’t want to get bird-judged by the bird-police. Satisfied, he spread his wings and ran a few steps before his powerful chest and wing muscles could get him off the ground. A back alley was not the best place for a large bird to takeoff, and the late Autumn air wasn’t much help, since even at 12:45, it wasn’t really warm enough to generate much lift, and there weren’t any any thermals to ride when Marco was a bit higher up. He had to work pretty hard to gain altitude while in the city, but as he passed the height of most of the buildings, it got easier to coast. 

He turned toward Cassie’s farm again, and it didn’t take long for him to be flying over the forest. He dipped down into the trees and spotted the small clearing where Ax had built his scoop. He didn’t see Tobias around, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t. Even though he knew what he was looking for, the shaded dwelling with its overhanging foliage was difficult to spot, but he saw Ax inside, lounging with his deer legs splayed out, reading a book. Marco’s sharp osprey eyes saw that he was reading _The Fabric of Reality_. Marco had given Ax that book and he felt a small thrill to see him actually reading it.

‹Hey, Ax-man,› Marco greeted him, landing in a nearby tree. ‹Enjoying that book?›

‹Hello Marco,› Ax already had one stalk eye focused on the osprey as he had landed and rearranged his legs into what Marco assumed was a more dignified position. He guessed Ax had been doing the equivalent of putting his legs over the side of the couch. ‹This book is very interesting. It is fairly advanced in terms of human science. It is still laughably primitive in some aspects, but the basic ideas are surprisingly correct, although they are the sort of facts Andalite children learn. It is providing me much amusement, thank you for the gift.› 

Marco laughed, ‹No problem, that was exactly the review I was hoping for when I got you the most advanced physics books I could find at Borders.› Tobias must not have been home, since it would have been rude not to say hello at this point. ‹I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I had some free time and wanted to know if you’d like to hang out.›

Ax shut his book and stood. ‹I believe I am ‘down to hang.’ That is the proper terminology?›

‹Haha, yeah Ax-man, ‘down to hang’ is good. What are you down for?› Marco was staying in osprey morph until he knew if they were staying or going.

Ax stepped up out of his scoop, leaving the book behind. ‹I am down for whatever,› Ax responded and Marco felt delighted at Ax’s use of ‘hang out’ slang -- it was like he got an A on his report card. Truly, his study of teen dramas was paying off.

Marco listed off a variety of options including getting snacks, going and seeing a movie, staying at Ax’s and watching TV, or going to Marco’s and playing his new Nintendo 64. He expected Ax to jump on the snacks plan, but Ax answered with some hesitation, ‹I believe many of those options would require you to spend your dollars.›

‹Well, yeah, but I wouldn’t have offered if it was an issue.› Marco attempted a nonchalant bird-shrug, but mostly just looked like he was ruffling his feathers. 

‹Prince Jake provided me with primitive magnetic tapes for “cultural education” -- many of them are what he called ‘the most important B-ball games of the last decade.’ Those are very confusing. He also gave me other magnetic tapes and the labels say ‘Fresh Prince’ -- are they war documentaries? Do humans prefer their leaders to smell pleasant?›

Marco wanted to laugh, but instead he just fluttered down to the ground and started demorphing. When he was human, Ax invited him into the scoop and handed him a VHS that Jake had taped from reruns of _Fresh Prince of Bel-Air_ , with a messy Sharpie label and a totally useless date. Like, who cared when he taped it? Marco smiled at the tape in his hand and Ax indicated the knee-height cardboard box full of VHS tapes in the ‘corner’ of his dwelling -- Andalite scoops have rounded edges, but it was off to the side. “Was Jake cleaning out his basement video collection or something?” Marco wondered aloud.

‹I do not know, but Prince Jake said these tapes were important viewing material for me to understand humans.›

“Right…” Marco got on his knees and looked through the tapes -- _Chicago Bulls vs Washington Bullets 4-21-96, NBA Finals Game 6 Bulls vs Jazz 6-11-97, NBA Finals Game 5 Bulls vs Lakers 7-12-1991_ \-- wow, Marco almost wanted to watch that one -- like 20 tapes of _Fresh Prince of Bel-Air_ , and a few each of _ALF, 3rd Rock From the Sun_ , and _The Nanny_. What were these picks? Why did Jake have them? Marco made a mental note to make fun of Jake later and held up the tape Ax had handed him in the first place. “This one’s good, let’s go with this.”

‹It is the first, sequentially, of the _Fresh Prince_ tapes I was provided.›

Marco knew it was a waste of time to explain to Ax that these were taped from reruns and the order didn’t matter anyway, and instead just turned on Ax’s TV and popped the tape into his VCR. _Ugh, Jake didn’t rewind it, typical irresponsible Jake,_ he thought as the end credits began rolling, and pressed STOP, REWIND. He listened to the whir of the tape being rolled and Ax leaned over his shoulder.

‹This technology is so archaic. How can you live like this?›

Marco scoffed. “I think we’re surviving. What do the noble, wise Andalites do to watch movies and stuff?”

‹We do not have these sorts of entertainment --›

“Already losing.”

An offended edge crept into Ax’s thought-speak, ‹But we transmit many types of audiovisual material as pure data via Z-space frequency. It is much more reliable than magnetic tape.› Marco was sure he thought-spoke ‘magnetic tape’ like you might say ‘a seagull pooped in my mouth when I was looking up.’ 

“Well Ax, this _magnetic tape_ is ready to watch, but I’d hate for you to have to lower yourself to my primitive level, you superior creature.” Marco rolled back on the balls of his feet and looked up sardonically at Ax, opening his eyes big and blinking his long lashes.

Ax settled down on the soft gathered grass that served as his seating area in front of the TV. ‹I believe I will be able to tolerate it. I have adapted to many substandard conditions on Earth.›

Marco pressed play and squat-waddled over to plop down next to Ax, cross-legged. “Glad you’re so excited about our hangout, Ax-man.”

Ax’s main eyes focused on the TV, his right stalk eye remained attuned to potential threats, and his left stalk eye made eye contact with Marco. ‹I am, actually,› Ax admitted. ‹I rarely get to hang out with anyone but Tobias unless we plan missions as a group.›

“Are you saying you’re lonely?”

‹No,› Ax answered quickly. ‹I am merely stating that an infrequent activity can be a pleasant diversion.›

“Uh huh,” Marco nodded, familiar with the deflection, because he did the same thing all the time. Although he would probably have had a better punchline. They watched the cold open, Ax with the sharp focus of someone missing the joke. Then the familiar tambourine shakes started and Marco could already feel the pressure building. “Ax, I’m really sorry, I’ve gotta do this.”

‹What do you --›

Marco took a deep breath and broke into an enthusiastic rap, bouncing to punctuate the lines. “ _Now, this is a story all about how, My life got flipped-turned upside down, And I’d like to take a minute, Just sit right there, I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air_ …”

‹What. Is. Happening.›

“It’s an important Earth ritual, Ax,” Marco explained between verses, then continued, “ _In WEST PHILADELPHIA, born and raised_ …” He sang the whole song, periodically turning to Ax for emphasis and also to take in the look on his face. Andalites weren’t very expressive, but Ax’s already large eyes were open to their maximum size and he was leaning back away from Marco. Worth it. Marco finished up with, “ _To sit on my throne as the Prince of Bel Air_ ,” and grinned hugely at Ax, feeling his neck and face flushing. 

Silence passed between them as Ax stared at him with all his eyes and Marco continued to smile unfalteringly. Ax’s main eyes blinked a long blink (erasing what he’d seen, probably) and he turned back toward the TV, clearly choosing to pretend nothing had happened. Marco snorted out a small breathy laugh and hooked his hands under his knees, also turning back to the TV.

They watched for a while before Ax broke down and admitted he had no idea what was going on. Marco expected this, and went into the concept of the show -- “It’s all in the song, man…”

‹I was not able to pay attention to the song because of the horrors I was witnessing.›

Marco barked out a laugh and explained the premise and the episode’s plot. Marco used the laugh track as a cue to explain every joke to Ax, who at some point seemed to start legitimately enjoying the show. 

‹I believe I understand that the majority of the humor is a result of the tension that arises from Will and his family being from different cultures.›

“Yeah Ax, this is a common comedic setup we call ‘Fish Out of Water,’” Marco explained. 

‹That is odd, because no one is suffocating. I suppose the phrase is a metaphor for the suffocating feeling one may have from being forced into an unfamiliar environment?› 

Marco nodded and raised his eyebrows. “Do you find that relatable?”

Ax sharply turned a stalk eye toward Marco. Marco could barely read expressions from Ax’s main eyes and he didn’t even know if the stalk eyes emoted at all, but he felt like Ax was judging him for being obvious. Ax continued, ‹But not all the humor arises from this ‘Fish Out of Water’ concept, as Will making fun of Carlton’s height is not dependent upon this conflict. Do you find _that_ relatable?›

Marco mimed taking an arrow to the heart and collapsed into the woven grass pillow that served as Ax’s ‘couch.’ They watched a total of three episodes before Marco had to crawl over to the VCR and put another tape in. He sighed as it also needed to be rewound, but he was soon able to press play and scoot backwards back to his spot next to Ax.

The cold open played and Marco appreciated Ax’s snorty little huff of a laugh that came out of his weird Andalite nose -- he didn’t even have to explain the joke. He leaned forward as the beat for the theme started to play and took a deep breath. 

“ _Now, this is a story all about how --_ ”  
‹ _Now, this is a story all about how, My life got flipped-turned upside down… _› Marco turned to stare at Ax, who continued to sing along, bobbing his stalk eyes to the beat. He continued to stare, open-mouthed as Ax finished the first verse, ‹ _I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air…_ Marco, this is an important ritual. I believe you should join me.›__

Marco’s agape mouth split into a huge, dumb grin and he laughed as they both started to sing, in unison:  
“ _In WEST PHILADELPHIA, born and raised…_ ”  
‹ _In WEST PHILADELPHIA, born and raised…_ › 

__When they were done, Marco fell back, overcome with giggles. “Ax, that was awesome.”_ _

__‹I agree, that was amazing,› said a familiar thought-speak voice._ _

__Marco started and jumped back up into a seated position, at the same time twirling around looking for the source of the thought speech. “Tobias! How long have you been here?”_ _

__‹A bird never tells his secrets. Yours, though? I can totally tell yours.›_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the silliest thing I've ever written, now please go enjoy The Fresh Prince theme at your leisure.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake has info about the Yeerk peace movement. Marco and Ax are the only ones with brain cells.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this fanfic has a plot like a real Animorphs book, but apparently that's what I'm doing. It always bugged me how the Yeerk peace movement seemed really important in #29 and then disappeared forever. What happened there? Are we gonna find out? I hope so?

The whole gang was gathered in Cassie’s barn. Cassie was making her rounds, giving meds to the rehabilitating wildlife. Jake was being his typical helpful self and scrubbing out a cage for her. Marco was sitting on top of that cage because he was also super helpful. He occasionally encouraged Jake to “put his back into it.” Ax was in human morph and was tinkering with a Gameboy Marco had brought him to see if he could “upgrade” it. Tobias was perched on top of a hay bale that Rachel had splayed herself out on. Her face was a mixture of delight and malice as she beamed up at him while he regaled them of the tale of Marco and Ax’s _Fresh Prince duet_.

‹They sang the whole song! Ax! Rapping!› Tobias was so excited to tell everyone his feathers were puffed out.

“Listen, Tobias, I’d have to be ashamed for this story to be embarrassing. And there’s no shame in loving _Fresh Prince_.” Marco crossed his arms and shrugged. “Will Smith is a genius and that theme is iconic.” 

Cassie acquiesced, “Marco has a point.”

“Then he should show us his stuff. Right now,” Rachel challenged with a smirk.

“If anyone should be ashamed,” Marco said, ignoring her dare, “it should be Jake. He gave Ax a huge box of all his old reject tapes, including _ALF_ and _The Nanny_. _The NANNY_.”

Jake sighed and sharply tipped the side of the cage he was cleaning upward. Marco lost his balance and windmilled his arms; he stumbled, but managed to land roughly on his feet in a half-crouch. Jake pulled the rag he’d been using out of his back pocket and started scrubbing the top of the cage where Marco had been. “Clearly you guys had fun with the tapes I brought. And just FYI, I didn’t send him my ‘old reject tapes’ -- I sent the best games of the last decade and I taped those shows specifically for Ax.”

“I get _ALF_ , that’s pretty funny, but _The Nanny_? Do you eat a pint of Häagen-Dazs when you watch it?” Marco brushed his hands off on his jeans -- he’d successfully retrieved them from behind the Blockbuster. He went over to sit next to Ax -- together they would be an undivided front to face this teasing (even though Ax seemed to only be half-listening). 

Jake rolled his eyes. “ _The Nanny_ is really funny, man --”

“And Fran’s fashion was all that,” Rachel added. Marco didn’t know if she was being ironic or serious and her cool blue eyes had no hint of smile behind them.

“But seriously,” Jake continued, “Everything I gave him was a story where a character adjusts to a new environment. I thought he’d get that better than other types of sitcoms. I was gonna tape Green Acres, but I felt like he’d like more modern cultural references.”

“Marco did explain that to me. He said Will Smith was a Fish Out of Water. Fish-shuh. Waterrr. Dur. Wa-dur.” Ax’s human morph was unreasonably beautiful, but he still couldn’t resist playing with his mouth, which created this weird dissonance of “gorgeous weirdo” every time he talked. Marco thought it was an endearing contrast to his often superior, somewhat smug method of expression when he was in Andalite form.

“Exactly,” Jake agreed. “So obviously my choices make sense and we can get back to the subject of your collective vocal stylings.”

‹I hear they’re going on tour with New Kids on the Block next summer,› Tobias said.

“Joey McIntyre better watch out, then, since I’ll be the cute one,” Marco quipped.

“As if,” Rachel retorted. “Unless Marco and Ax are going to sing for us, do we have actual business or are we just wasting time?” She brushed all her thick blonde hair over one shoulder and picked a couple pieces of hay out.

Jake shoved his rag back into his back pocket and dusted his hands off together. “So, I asked Ax to set up a tracker on Tom’s encrypted email communications and re-scramble it into like… a private server or something? Right, Ax?”

“Something like that, that-tuh. Thuh. At.” Ax still didn’t look up from Marco’s Gameboy.

Jake rolled his eyes. “Marco, will you put that away?”

Marco pursed his lips and held his hand out. Ax handed him the Gameboy, stating, “I made it so you can catch them all.”

“Thanks, Ax-man.”

“Anyway,” Jake’s voice sounded strained, “Ax set it up so I can read Tom’s email without being tracked and he’s been talking about the Yeerk peace movement. They’re compiling a list of suspected members.” 

Cassie seemed to perk up, since she had the most personal interest in the Yeerk peace movement. Marco sighed, knowing she was going to insist they save a bunch of Yeerks, again. And obviously Jake would defer to her, and they would risk their lives. For _Yeerks_. Marco looked over at Ax. Ax was suddenly hyper-focused and had a stormy expression. Marco knew at least Ax would agree with him that trying to save the rebel Yeerks was, at best, a waste of time, and more likely to get them killed than accomplish anything. 

“So are you saying that we’re going to swoop in and risk our butts for Yeerks, again?” Marco protested.

“I’m saying we need to find out who they are and contact them, at least,” Jake said, and his shoulders looked heavy.

“We don’t owe them anything. The more contact we have with them the more dangerous it is. Aftran and Illim already know who we are. It’d be safer to kill Illim and let the Yeerks take care of the rest of them,” Marco stated coldly.

“Are you serious?” Cassie’s voice raised in pitch, tinged with anger. “They’re the only hope the Yeerks have to change from the inside! They’re our allies.”

“They’re a liability,” Marco said forcefully, with finality. “The Yeerks aren’t going to change just because some of them are soft. They’re parasites. They have to be the way they are and the ones who disagree are delusional.” 

“Are you calling me delusional?” Cassie balled her hands into fists. Jake touched her arm, but she didn’t unwind at all.

Marco glared at her, not about to back down. “Are you a Yeerk?,” he snapped. “Because I’m pretty sure I said the peaceful Yeerks are delusional. _You’re_ just naive.”

“Come on, Marco,” Jake warned. His tone was silky leader voice mixed with “lay off my girlfriend” -- not a combo that made Marco particularly inclined to back down.

“Is this a vote? Because I also vote we do not help the Yeerks,” Ax stated calmly. “Even if they are in the peace movement, they are still Yeerks and cannot be trusted. Even if we could trust the members of the peace movement, we have experienced the Yeerks’ ability to extract information. They do not show mercy to their own traitors. It is a bigger risk to help them.”

“So you’re going to let them be tortured and murdered just because they’re the same species as our enemy?” Cassie pleaded, “Ax, Aftran saved your life.”

“You _infested_ me without my consent, Cassie. I appreciate that you were able to save my life, but I am not grateful to the Yeerk.”

‹Guys. This is getting a bit heated. If this is a vote, let’s vote.› Tobias tried to be diplomatic. 

“We help them,” Cassie said immediately.

‹I also think we should help them,› Tobias said. Ax turned his face up, clearly feeling betrayed. ‹We helped the Hork-Bajir and it was a risk, but it worked out and it was important. I think we need to fight for any allies we can get.›

“The Hork-Bajir are victims,” Ax protested. “Yeerks will never change, no matter the actions of a few who choose to betray their race. I do not want to help them.”

“I agree with Ax,” Marco said, throwing his hands up like it was obvious. Because it was.

“Well, obviously I’m for at least checking it out,” Jake said, exasperated. “It’s three to two. Rachel?”

Rachel had her arms crossed and a hard look on her face. Marco honestly didn’t know what she was going to say. Her brutal side probably agreed with him and Ax, and more and more that was her ruling side. But a vote in Marco’s favor was also a vote of inaction, and Rachel was always itching to risk their lives. “Let’s do it,” she said finally. Of course.

“Ugh,” Marco protested.

Ax stood and left the barn. “Ax!” Jake called. 

‹I’ll get him,› Tobias volunteered, spreading his wings.

“Wait,” Marco said. “He might be kinda pissed at you. I’ll go talk to him.” Marco got up and walked out, looking around. He went around the back of the barn and started walking toward Ax’s scoop. He weaved through the forest, wanting to just morph osprey and catch up to him as fast as he could, but he figured he didn’t need to. He pressed on and eventually found Ax, returned to his Andalite self and sitting in his scoop, just as he’d hoped.

Marco ducked down and made his face visible in Ax’s “doorway.” “Hey. Thanks for having my back.”

‹Of course. You are the only human I know with any brain cells.› Ax was rarely straight up insulting, but Marco also felt kind of flattered.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

‹I do not want to help the Yeerks.›

“Me either, Ax-man.” Marco looked up, his hand traveling to the back of his neck. They stood quietly for a couple minutes and Marco eventually admitted, “But I guess we’re gonna have to fall in line.”

‹Yes, I suppose so. But I am not into it.› They both wanted to wait for a bit, but eventually Ax started morphing back to his androgynously attractive human form. Marco felt a deeper kinship to him as they walked back to the barn together. Neither of them were in a good mood as Jake brought them up to speed on the first planning stages.

“So, Marco, Ax, I know you guys aren’t totally on board with this, but we kind of need you to be the tech team on this one. We still need to ID the peace movement members they’re targeting. Can you work on that?” Jake raked his hand through his bangs -- he was running the gamut of stressed leader gestures, but Marco didn’t feel sorry for him.

“Yes, Prince Jake,” Ax confirmed, taking orders in the dispassionate way of a soldier. Marco envied his trained ability to let it go. But he had just walked out of the meeting, so that kinda balanced it out.

“Marco, is there an opportunity for Ax to come to your house so you guys can get on it soon?”

Marco seethed. He knew his dad’s T1 connection was an asset, and he knew Ax would be able to encrypt their location, but he still hated putting his dad in so much danger when he was already on the Yeerks’ radar for multiple reasons. He gritted his teeth and said flatly, “My dad and his wife are going on vacation to Colorado for the week of Thanksgiving. I already passed on it. I hate skiing.”

“Okay, sounds perfect. Plan to have Ax over and working on that.” Jake’s giving orders voice only made Marco more annoyed.

“Got it, boss,” Marco agreed, despite himself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ax comes over to work on the mission, but has a special request for Marco. The resulting antics are so cute, Marco is forced to realize it's Ax who's cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Endless thanks to the wonderful [IoniaFletcher](http://archiveofourown.org/users/IoniaFletcher/pseuds/IoniaFletcher) whose enthusiasm for this fic gives me life. Shout out to anonymous grammar beta for "teaching me" to use "scare quotes."

Marco’s dad and Nora said goodbye on Saturday. His dad gave him the usual, “don’t throw any wild parties” line. He had to force a weak laugh. It was gonna be a party. He still had class on Monday and Tuesday. Ax was going to join him at his house after class and his anxiety mounted throughout the day, especially when Jake checked in with him at lunch. He felt like Jake was testing his loyalty and he didn’t like the feeling, especially since he was yet again pitted against Cassie. Marco had no desire to fight her for Jake’s favor, but he wished Jake didn’t just defer to her on all issues of morality, as if her goodness would keep him good. What did that make Marco?

Whatever.

The day grinded along torturously. Marco watched the clock in every period and each tick of the second hand took approximately his whole life. He was 103 years old when the last bell rang and the wound up tension in his body made him feel it. If there wasn’t so much bustling around him, he would have heard his knees creak as he got up.

He left all his books in his locker because obviously he wasn’t going to do any homework over the holiday. He walked back to his house as if he was walking to his execution. When he got home, Marco tidied on autopilot. It wasn’t like Ax was going to be impressed or bothered by his house’s cleanliness, but he didn’t want him to have to step around the laundry in his room again. He put a load on to wash and heard the doorbell ring as he was pouring in the detergent. It rang again less than a second later. He pulled out the knob to start the machine and went to answer the door as the doorbell rang four more times. 

Marco threw the door open impatiently and Ax’s big hazel-green human eyes widened. His finger was still on the button. “Ax! You only have to ring once.”

“But it is not making a sound. Does it transmit a signal directly to your brain? Buh-rain. Rainnn.” Marco pulled Ax inside and pressed the bell himself so Ax could hear the loud _DING DONG_. “Ahhhh. Fascinating.”

“Yes, fascinating,” Marco agreed sarcastically. “So, the computer is over there.” Marco indicated the computer desk. 

Ax looked toward the desk but seemed kind of dismissive. Ax was wearing the “normal guy” costume Rachel had picked out for him -- well-tailored jeans and a brand name polo shirt with a fitted white long sleeved undershirt. Very preppy for Ax, but honestly he looked great. “I don’t have to get to work right away, do I? Dooo aye?” Ax asked, walking over to the computer desk and setting down a piece of equipment with exposed circuit boards and cables. 

“Nah,” Marco allowed. “You wanted to hang out first?”

“I am not eager to complete this work, but I don’t think it will take many of your hours.”

“You live here. They’re your hours,” Marco deadpanned for the millionth time.

“I have a request,” Ax entreated. Marco waved a hand for him to continue. “I have been watching _Iron Chef_. I want to cook food. Tobias said you know how.”

Suddenly, Marco feared for his life in a more immediate way, but also broke out laughing. “I didn’t know Tobias was out to get me.”

“Is that a comment on the level of safety involved in this process? I assure you, the risk level is incumbent upon your abilities as a teacher. Teeee. Cher.”

Marco chuckled and beckoned Ax into the kitchen. “I’m not Rachel, but I know when I’m being challenged.” Marco washed his hands and gestured for Ax to do the same. “I’ll teach you, but we do have to be really careful not to burn down my house. That would violate my dad’s only rule. Did you have something in mind you wanted to cook?”

“What’s the secret ingredient?” Ax asked.

Marco blinked. He started getting pots and pans out of the cabinets. “Let’s just start with something basic. How’s spaghetti sound?”

“I have had this dish at Jake’s! It was delicious. Lishus. It was also fun to put in the mouth. I learned advanced fork techniques. TEK! NEEEEKS.” 

“Oh yeah.” It seemed like forever since Ax had impersonated Jake with his family, but of course the food had stuck with him. “Well, Jake’s mom is a pretty good cook, but I’m okay myself,” Marco assured him. He took a wooden spoon, a cutting board, and a 9-inch chef’s knife out of the utensil drawer. He appraised the tools in his hands and handed Ax the wooden spoon. He didn’t want to deal with any chopped off fingers, even if Ax could morph his injuries away. He went to the refrigerator and removed a pack of ground beef, a green bell pepper, and some chiles. He sliced open the beef package and handed it to Ax. “Okay, you put this in that shallow pan and take that spoon and mince it into small pieces. It’s done when it turns from pink to brown. Until then, _it’s unsafe to eat, so don’t_. I’ll chop the veggies.”

Marco put the oven on medium heat for Ax and watched him stir the meat and break it up, supervising from his place a little further down the counter where he chopped an onion, an unholy amount of fresh garlic, and the peppers. Ax was grinning so broadly, the risk of bodily harm or property damage was definitely worth it. Ax looked up at Marco, his face lit with excitement, and their eyes connected. Marco felt heat flush up his neck to his face and looked back down at the last serrano on his board, his stomach feeling light and flippy.

He finished up chopping and brought the cutting board with its neat piles over to Ax to sweep into the meat with the edge of his knife. His left arm bumped Ax’s stirring arm and waves of chills ran through Marco. He felt warm. And cold. And moist. It was hot next to the stove, but somehow his hands were numb. “Stir that in,” he directed, but his voice came out breathless and creaky. 

He cleared his throat and washed his hands again to get the capsaicin off his fingers and to see if he could bring them back to life. He shook them off and also shook himself out. _Get a grip, Marco_ , he said to himself. He leaned against the counter, crossed his arms, and observed. Ax still looked so delighted to be making his own food and was diligently stirring the veggies as they softened. Marco focused on Ax’s hands. Though not as delicate as his Andalite hands, he had long, deft fingers and didn’t seem clumsy at all with manual tasks unlike say, walking. Marco’s mouth was dry.

“Can I taste it? It smells amazing.” Ax asked, clearly bursting to sample, even though the sauce hadn’t even started to be a sauce. The meat was cooked through though, so Marco handed him a tasting spoon. Ax brought some to his mouth, but as soon as the hot meat hit his lips, he jerked his face back, wincing.

“Ax, it’s hot!” Marco grabbed the hand that held the spoon and brought it down to his own height to blow on it for Ax. His heart started thumping loudly in his ears; he could feel his pulse in his whole head. Suddenly he was very aware that he was standing almost belly-to-belly with Ax, holding his hand, and blowing near his collarbone. 

Everything seemed to freeze in this intensely awkward, intimate moment. 

Marco, in slow motion, removed his hand from Ax’s and took a step back, feeling like he’d been struck by lightning. He was a ghost, he was imagining it, he was dreaming, it was the Ellimist.

Ax put the seasoned meat and roasted vegetables in his mouth, closed his eyes happily, and made an expression of pure joy. Warmth burst in Marco’s chest, but his stomach roiled. When had he started crushing on Ax?

 _How_ could he be crushing on Ax?

~*~

The sauce -- now an actual sauce with tomato components and everything -- was simmering. Ax hovered around it like a hummingbird, watching it bubble. Marco sat quietly on the couch, trying not to look at Ax.

From the very first time Ax had morphed, Marco was aware that his human form was gorgeous. Before he’d accepted he was bi, he’d justified it by telling himself Ax’s beautiful parts were from Cassie and Rachel (and himself, obviously). But Ax was such a perfect blend of the four of them that it was impossible to pick out features like “that’s Jake’s nose,” to put himself off Ax being a blend of himself and his friends, who he was super not attracted to. Well, Rachel was attractive, but her personality was enough of a deterrent that at this point she was almost more “monster,” than “pretty girl” to Marco. After everything, he kind of felt the same about himself.

But Ax was a total weirdo who couldn’t stop playing with his mouth and the sounds it made. He ate cigarette butts and licked grease off garbage. He embarrassed them all in public. He wasn’t even human. But now that this possibility had dawned on him, it was like a dam of awkward reactions had burst and he couldn’t stop his mounting panic, which only seemed to make it worse.

“Hey Ax,” Marco beckoned. “How long have you been in morph?”

“About one point five of your hours.” He waited for Marco’s response, but Marco ignored their usual banter. After the pregnant pause, Ax continued, “I should demorph.”

“Yeah,” Marco agreed. That should help. But then the obvious action followed -- Ax started taking his clothes off. “I’m gonna get something from my room! Be right back!” Marco jumped up and twirled away from Ax and his belly, which was peeking out from under the undershirt Ax was struggling out of. Marco closed the door to his bedroom, taking deep breaths. He grabbed his pillow and buried his face in it, saying, “WHY. WHY. WHY.” Marco counted to ten, breathing in and out on each number and went back out to the living room where Ax had resumed his normal Andalite form. Marco made sure all the curtains were completely drawn and checked the lock on the door. Even if he was freaking out, he wasn’t going to forget security with an Andalite in his house.

‹What did you get?› Ax asked.

He’d forgotten to grab something. “I couldn’t find it. I guess I left it at school.”

‹How unfortunate. Shall we break in to retrieve it?›

Marco laughed gently, despite himself. “I like that you’ve got jokes, Ax-man. It takes the pressure off me a bit.”

‹You have taught me the depressurizing effects of humor,› Ax said. ‹Effective application of humor is a useful distraction from fear and other negative emotions.›

“Yeah,” Marco agreed. “I don’t know that you learned it all from me; you’ve always been funny. It’s just that it happens to be my number one coping mechanism and I have a lot of negative emotions that need distracting from.”

‹We have much in common.› Ax walked back to the simmering sauce while Marco reeled with another wave of hot and cold and fluttering in his stomach. Ax took the lid off the sauce and stirred, smelling it with his odd alien nose slits. Marco found that so endearing, he rubbed his hand on his face and pushed his cheek up, forcing his right eye closed. Ax noticed this with one of his stalk eyes. ‹Is something wrong?›

Marco scoffed. “Just me. In general.” Was he _really_ into Ax as an Andalite, too? _Really_? Marco collapsed back down on the couch and pressed the heel of his hand into his right eye socket. With both eyes closed, he said, “That needs to stay on low for at least an hour, you don’t have to babysit it.” 

He heard the pan lid settle back into place, and Ax’s dainty hooves clicked on the kitchen tile until he passed back onto the carpet. ‹I’m avoiding it, too,› Ax said -- it felt like he was trying to radiate a comforting feeling. Well, that was both sweet and creepy. 

Marco lolled his head over the back of the couch and opened his left eye to look at Ax, who was peering down at him from directly behind. “What?”

‹Our assignment. You are wigging about it.›

Marco exhaled sharply. “Yeah. Clearly I am. Sorry I’m spoiling your cooking lesson.” 

‹You cannot do that unless the food is literally spoiled,› Ax assured him. ‹Do you have head pain? Would you like a glass of water? I have seen tablets advertised for such ailments.›

“I’m fine,” Marco said, half to himself. He took his hand off his face and made an attempt to smile. 

‹I am not the best at human expressions, but your face doesn’t look fine.›

“You know just what to say to a guy.” Marco felt like that was a comeback he would have gone with if he felt normal. But now he was second guessing himself. At least Ax was unfamiliar with human affection and Marco could probably slip some things by him. The strategic side of him kicked in and told him not to make that assumption; Ax was super smart and super into soap operas. The obvious solution was to repress it. _Make jokes, push it down, keep pretending everything is fine until you don’t feel anything anymore. This is how you survive_.

Marco’s eyes followed Ax’s hand as he lifted it and lightly brushed Marco’s cheek with the tips of his fingers. He barely felt it, but it sent shivers all the way through him. Andalite attempts at comfort were so _uncomfortable_ in this situation. 

Marco pressed his lips together and turned his face away. “So, we can either stop avoiding it and get to work while we wait on food or we can keep avoiding it and watch some tube.”

Ax walked around to the front of the couch. ‹What’s on?›

Marco grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. He also shoved one of the couch seat cushions out onto the floor. Ax’s stalk eyes followed the motion and he sat down on the cushion when it settled. Marco smiled and started clicking through the channels. “Local news, local news, _Wheel of Fortune_ , _Friends_ , the _Pokémon_ cartoon, local news, _Law and Order_ , the weather, infomercial -- we’re not watching that, _Little House on the Prairie_ , ESPN, CSPAN, CNN, some kind of western, _Murphy Brown_ , music videos…”

They settled on a _Star Trek: Voyager_ rerun, although it was a Chakotay episode, so Marco was pretty checked out. He did like watching _Star Trek_ with Ax, though, because Ax liked to make fun of the aliens and the space travel inaccuracies. It was even better than watching it with his engineer dad. 

At some point, Marco got up to stir and taste the sauce. Ax’s ears perked up and his stalk eyes wiggled eagerly. ‹Do you need help?›

“I think we’re ready to make the pasta, so come here and I’ll show you,” Marco answered. He’d already gotten the big pasta pot out, so he started filling the pot with water and got some spaghetti noodles out of the pantry. He turned and startled a bit because Ax was mid-morph back to human. He honestly should have expected that, but turning to see someone morphing without being prepared was always a stomach churner. Even more of a stomach churner was the fact that Marco had seen Ax’s skintight morphing outfit hundreds of times and all of a sudden was super embarrassed by it. 

“Make sure to put your shirt back on, because you might get burnt,” he suggested oh-so-smoothly. Ax struggled to keep balance on his two legs as he attempted to put his head through an arm hole. Marco sighed at his own expense --how could he be crushing on this disaster of a person? _If he’s a disaster, you’re the apocalypse,_ answered his inner monologue.

Ax had a triumphant look on his face as he walked over, successfully wearing just his polo and bike shorts. He leaned over Marco’s arm to get a better view of the pot of water. Marco emphasized salting the water and put it on to boil. “You wanna taste this again?” He handed Ax another spoon to taste the sauce and this time Ax blew on it himself. Marco bit back his smile. “Can you tell if it needs anything?”

Ax closed his eyes and breathed in and out heavily. “This is so good. SO good-uh, good, duh.”

Marco laughed lightly. “Better than Jake’s mom’s?”

“Yours burns my mouth.”

“Ah, yeah, I like it spicy. Is it too hot?” Marco didn’t think he would mind because he was pretty sure Ax would drink jet fuel.

“I’m going to eat it all.” Ax opened his eyes wide and Marco couldn’t tell if it was a threat or a promise.

“Well, you’re going to let me have at least one serving, but you’re the one who has to deal with it later.” Marco shrugged.

“What do you mean?” Ax had his face over the sauce and was staring into the bubbles like he was hypnotized, sniffing periodically.

Marco realized that as much as Ax ate, he had no idea how Ax’s digestive system worked. “I actually don’t know. Don’t worry about it.”

The water was boiling and Marco held a handful of noodles over the water and broke them in half to drop them in. Ax was amazed. “So they start hard and become soft?”

Marco blushed and wanted to roll his eyes at his own stupid reaction. Instead he just said, “Yeah,” and stirred the noodles. Seven minutes later, he strained them and dumped them into the sauce, mixing everything together. Ax was practically vibrating as he recognized the finished form of the pasta. “Get two plates and two forks.” Marco indicated where the dishes were and Ax complied. 

A bit later, they were enjoying the fruits of their labor, one of them a lot more enthusiastically than the other. Marco cupped his chin in his hand, elbow on the table, and slurped slowly, watching Ax practically shovel pasta into his mouth. Ax’s chin was stained orange; he looked up from his food momentarily, beaming. “Thank you so much for doing this with me, Marco. Ko.”

“It was no big deal.” 

But it really, really was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also thanks to everyone who has read this fic and left comments and kudos. I just love these boys so much and want everyone to love them with me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Animorphs meet to discuss the Yeerk peace movement. Murder is still not an option, Cassie and Marco are still at odds, and Jake gives orders and pep talks. Ax is James Bond.

They spent most of the night decrypting Yeerk files and hacking into their databases, with Ax assuring Marco he was scrambling their location and hiding their identity inside a Controller’s IP to mask the access point. Marco still worried, but Ax was sure there was no way to track what they were doing. He was very superior about it. 

Tom’s communications only identified potential peace movement members by their Yeerk names, so there was no real way to figure out who the actual people being discussed were. But Illim was on the list, so they knew it wasn’t baseless and this was likely a legitimate list of Yeerk peace movement members. 

Ax was able to hack into the Yeerk infobank and obtain a list of hosts and their contact info. Marco commented that it was like the world’s most effed-up phone tree, then had to explain what a phone tree was because Ax got excited that it was like some kind of talking tree on his homeworld. Marco then went through all the missives and tried to connect all the Yeerks who were mentioned as possible peace movement members to their hosts. There were only a few context clues, so he assembled a spreadsheet and organized it by how sure of their identities he was. He hoped the Yeerks were as questioning about their identities as he was, but he doubted it. He certainly didn’t feel great about contacting any of them but Illim, and he didn’t even want to do that. He compiled a final list with his own notes of how safe they were to contact, how sure he was they were really a part of the movement. But he didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want his friends to do it.

Marco called Jake and said, “Hey, I have that tape you wanted to borrow, if you wanna meet up sometime.”

Jake responded, “Yeah, okay, Saturday, I guess? The usual.”

Marco printed the results of his and Ax’s tech team project and Ax cleaned up all traces that they’d ever done it. Marco accepted that if Ax wasn’t the guru he claimed to be, he and his dad were dead meat. 

It was good to trust your friends.

They finished late into the night, but Ax didn’t ask to stay and Marco didn’t offer, so when it was done, Marco opened his bedroom window and Ax flew away as a northern harrier. Marco fell into his bed, hardly believing that it was possible to relax after the work they did. _And_ after he realized that he had a crush on his male, alien comrade. At least they got a good meal out of it. How was he even going to journal about this? The nice thing about the feelings journal was that it felt so _normal_. So much for normal. As usual.

He made a conscious decision not to contact anyone until Saturday. He definitely needed a break. If he could have taken a break from himself, he would have. 

From Wednesday to Saturday, he just ate crap food and played _StarFox_ and tried to pretend he was just a normal kid. He spent a lot of time sleeping, an attempt to pretend not to exist at all. He tried to put Ax out of his mind, but it turned out thinking consciously about not thinking about something only makes you think of it constantly. His dad and Nora had called to wish him happy Thanksgiving and he assured them he was having a nice vacation and about to eat a big meal. Lying to his dad had become the most natural feeling in his life.

By the time Saturday came, he’d eaten two bags of Doritos and nothing else and had accidentally slept on the couch with the N64 controller in his hands two nights in a row. He felt disgusting, but a hot shower and an actual meal didn’t help. His eyes kept falling to the intel printouts and his stomach would sink again. He was almost grateful when it was time to go to the meeting because at least he was finally getting it over with. He rode the bus out to the spot closest to Cassie’s farm and was actually the first to arrive. 

“Hey, Marco,” Cassie greeted, with some tension in her voice. Was she seriously going to hold it against him that he suggested they murder their contact in the peace movement? It was basically just a difference of opinion.

“Hey, Cassie,” he responded, instead of blaming her for everything wrong with his life.

“Did you have a good Thanksgiving?” she asked with a polite smile that Marco thought was probably forced, but looked natural. She was shoving a pill down a weasel’s throat, so that was probably why. 

“I spent it alone, so, best company.” Marco shrugged and tried to ignore the flash of pity that crossed her face. Of course Cassie had had a picture perfect family Thanksgiving. They probably had sick animals at the table, passing the bread.

“So you and Ax… did the computer stuff?” 

“Yep, we beeped and booped and computered it out,” Marco answered flippantly. She made a face like what he said bothered her, but neither of them said anything further. Marco felt like maybe she was waiting for an apology for his position on this mission, like doing the work had made him change his mind. She wasn’t going to get it.

Cassie went back to her rounds of treating the animals and Marco climbed up to the loft, letting his feet dangle over the side. In short order, Tobias flew past him from the hayloft window in the back and settled on a rafter across from Marco.

‹Ax hasn’t shut up about the dinner you let him help make. It’s been making my dinners look pretty sad.› Tobias preened his chest feathers, emphasizing his majestic qualities while being self-deprecating. Marco respected that. 

Marco could feel his ears getting hot and he hoped the choppy lighting in the barn made that hard to see, even for hawk eyes. “Don’t sell your mice short. Remember that time Ax licked an ashtray clean?”

‹Can you morph away a nicotine addiction? Because if not, that would explain a lot.› Marco laughed. It felt good, like letting air out of a balloon that was about to pop. 

Rachel came in with sunglasses on, looking like she was stepping onto a Hollywood set of a barn instead of a real one. She pushed the sunglasses up to rest on her head and looked so cool about it, Marco couldn’t help rolling his eyes. Her eyes scanned the rafters for Tobias and she settled down on a stool near where he was perched. 

“Jake and I came together,” she indicated. “He’s outside talking to Ax.” Marco wondered what Ax and Jake would be having a private conversation about. He wondered if Jake was checking up on him through Ax now. He didn’t even know if he was being paranoid or not.

Jake and Ax came in a few minutes later and Jake took a seat on a bench next to Cassie. Ax looked around until his eyes settled on Marco, up on the loft where he knew Ax wouldn’t follow because he didn’t trust his human limbs to climb. Marco didn’t make eye contact and tried not to think about how Ax looking for him made his stomach feel. Ax didn’t hesitate for long and took a seat on a bench near Rachel. Her effortless stylishness contrasted sharply with Ax, who was wearing Cassie’s dad’s enormous brown work jacket over his morphing outfit. He looked like he’d been rescued in a water ski accident.

Marco ran down the intel they had collected and Ax chimed in occasionally to add something. Marco continued to express his concerns about the mission, but tried to be less confrontational, since Cassie was already throwing him worried looks. 

Jake finally admitted, “We don’t have a whole lot to go on here. I think we need more information. Ax, do you think you can monitor Tidwell’s communications? We need to find out if he’s still Illim, and how he’s contacting the other peace movement members.”

“Yes, Prince Jake. Jay-kuh,” Ax answered. 

Jake looked up at Marco, “Can you do it too?” 

Marco tried not to react. So much for avoiding the issue. “Yeah, but my dad and his wife are coming back from vacation tonight.”

“You can’t have a sleepover with your good buddy Ax?” Jake looked like he was stifling a laugh. After all, for a while both his own and Cassie’s family thought Jake had lost it because of Ax morphing Jake.

“Don’t worry, I am very convincing in human morph now. Mor-fuh. Morrrrrr.” Ax reassured them, “Your family will not suspect. Sus! Pekt! PEKT. What an interesting combination of sounds.”

“Oh yeah, you’re basically James Bond,” Marco deadpanned, his eyebrows stitching together.

The team talked a bit of strategy before Jake dismissed them all. Marco climbed down the loft ladder and Jake stopped him on his way out. “Hey man, let’s go for a walk.” It wasn’t a request.

Marco’s stomach sank, but he followed Jake out of the barn. They walked alongside each other, Jake doing his best to shoot for casual camaraderie and Marco fisting his pockets and slinking along like a kid who was called to the principal’s office. Except getting called to the principal’s office, as an Animorph, was a life or death situation. They got pretty deep into the field behind the barn before Jake asked, “So, is everything okay?”

“Oh yeah,” Marco cracked back, “Things are peachy. I mean, I’ve never felt more secure and ready to face the day knowing me and my family won’t be murdered.”

“You know what I mean,” Jake said patiently.

“No, I don’t, what do you mean?” Marco stopped walking and planted himself, arms crossed, in front of Jake. “Because as far as I can tell, I’m doing everything you’re asking me to do and you still seem to have a problem with it.”

“It’s just been a while since you wanted to resort to straight up murdering someone. You know. Since Visser One.”

Marco rolled his eyes dramatically. It was more like a whole head and shoulder roll. “Do you really think this is like that? It’s not like that. Maybe it’s a little hard for me to see any other way out of this. But it’s about what we have to do to save our butts.”

“I just don’t think we should jump straight there. Are you sure nothing’s on your mind? Nothing getting in the way of you thinking of something better?”

Marco’s heart quickened, but he tried to keep up the same level of bravado. “Nope,” he said with practiced self-assuredness. “Do you give Rachel a lecture every time she goes all psycho bloodlust?”

“Yes,” Jake said with firm emphasis. “Besides, _Rachel_ voted not to kill him. Look, if you say there’s nothing distracting you, okay. We just need a better plan than ‘kill him.’ Killing him is the last resort. So think harder.”

“Got it, boss,” Marco mumbled.

“Hey. I’m not saying this as the leader. I’m saying it as your friend. Take care of yourself. Not just because we need you at your best. I need you.” Jake was so sincere it took everything Marco had not to fake barf.

“Okay okay. We don’t have to hug it out, do we?”

Jake spread his arms, grinning. “Not unless you want to.”

Marco raked his hand through his hair, relaxing a bit and letting himself laugh. “Nah, I’m good. Thanks, Jake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my betas for being encouraging, especially [IoniaFletcher](http://archiveofourown.org/users/IoniaFletcher/pseuds/IoniaFletcher), who makes me think I'm doing something right. Thanks to [mops](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mops/pseuds/mops) for leaving lovely comments on almost every chapter, being a general inspiration, and drawing the art I'm using as my phone wallpaper. But you are all as beautiful and pure as Aximili.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco's dad tries to impress Ax by taking him to the swankiest restaurant in town. Marco and Nora are along for the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: legal, responsible adult consumption of alcoholic beverages that leads to only good times for everyone involved; dad jokes

Marco got back home before noon and cleaned up the video game nest he’d made around the couch. He told Ax to show up at noon and he was expecting his dad and Nora to be back a couple hours later. Marco should have known not to have expectations, because his dad nudged the front door open with his shoulder while he was still doing dishes. He was struggling with their massive bags and Nora was right behind him, a duffel on her shoulder and her horrible poodle Euclid in her arms. Marco had his sleeves rolled up, his hair in a messy bun, and his arms elbow deep in dishwater.

His dad dropped the bags and put his hands on the base of his spine, stretching. “Oh man, where is my kid? I could have sworn I left him here, but all I see is some other kid who actually does housework.”

Marco rolled his eyes and dried his arms off on the dish towel. “If you’re gonna be like that, you can do the rest.”

“Helpful Kid, I know you don’t know where Marco is, but would you help me with my bags?” Peter picked up the bigger suitcase and left the other for Marco. Marco sighed and grabbed the handle with both hands, dragging it and walking it on its corners, thinking about how if he was a gorilla, he could hook it over one meaty finger and lift it like nothing. He let himself daydream that’s what he was doing so he could ignore the beads of perspiration popping out on his forehead. Nora came up beside him, carrying the duffel into the bedroom as well, and popped out the handle that triggered the wheels to engage on Marco’s bag, spun the bag with one hand onto the wheels, and handed the handle to Marco, smiling with helpful pity. 

“Thanks, Nora,” Marco muttered, trying to keep the words even and not sarcastic, but probably failing. His dad’s wife was fine. Probably evil, as anyone who loves math obviously is, but she made his dad happy, so she could stay. But her dog… Marco glared at Euclid, who was growling at him over her shoulder as he followed them into their bedroom. Definitely evil.

“Uh, Dad…” he started. He had no time before Ax was supposed to arrive.

“Marco! Thanks, buddy.” His dad was laying it on thick and Marco could tell he felt guilty about leaving him. That was a bad sign. “Hey, me and Nora were talking on the ride back and since you missed out on the trip and family Thanksgiving --”

“That was fine,” Marco assured him.

“We wanted to take you out to dinner.” Peter clapped Marco on the shoulder and Marco shrank from the physical affection. He didn’t do physical affection.

He ducked out from under his dad’s hand. His plan was falling apart, not that it was much of a plan in the first place. “No, dad, that’s really okay, I was fine. And I --” The doorbell rang. “-- invited a friend over.” His voice trailed off and he looked over his shoulder. “I’ll get it!” He hurdled over the suitcase and cursed himself, and Jake, and stupid punctual Ax, especially _as Ax rang the doorbell again. And again. Dammit, Ax._ Marco threw the door open so hard, it banged against the inside wall and shook the hanging pictures.

“Marco!” his dad scolded from the bedroom. 

Marco huffed and glared at Ax, a piece of hair falling out of his bun onto his sweaty forehead. “ _You only have to ring once_ ,” he repeated icily. 

“I do remember that advice,” Ax said, brushing past Marco into his house. Marco melted as Ax’s elbow touched his chest, and resumed cursing himself in his head. This was the absolute worst. “But the button is fun to press,” Ax continued, almost apologetically.

Peter came out of the bedroom, brushed his hands together, then reached out to Ax for a handshake. Ax looked down at Peter’s hand, then at Marco, and Marco buried his face in his hand. Doomed. This was doomed. Something clicked, like maybe he remembered the greeting from TV, and Ax took Peter’s hand and shook it, looking back up at him and smiling. Peter squinted at Ax’s face. “Have we met?”

Oh god. “Yeah, Dad, you met him a couple years ago.”

“Yes! No, was it?” 

“No, you met him.”

“Yes. I know. His name, No?”

“ _Do_ you know his name?” Marco asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“No?” Marco’s dad looked between them with confusion.

“I fear my universal translator is malfunctioning,” Ax whispered to Marco.

Oh god. “Dad! This is my friend Ax, he’s an exchange student and when you met him, his English wasn’t very good, so maybe there was a mix-up.”

“Ax? Is that short for Axel? I work with a guy from Germany named Axel.”

“Yep!” Marco agreed with an enthusiastic handwave, “That’s where Ax is from too, Germany. What a coincidence.”

Ax nodded. “My country is known for its industriousness and sausages.” Marco didn’t know if he was going to laugh or cry.

“Yeah, my buddy Axel is a real wiener schnitzel, if you know what I mean,” Peter joked. Ax didn’t know what he meant, so he added, “He’s the wurst!”

Marco did not inherit his sense of humor from his dad. He didn’t know who was going to embarrass him more. “So, uh, Ax wanted to know if he could stay over tonight, we were gonna play some fighting games, so you really don’t have to take me out to dinner.”

“Nonsense!” His dad was still shaking Ax’s hand, pretty firmly, it looked like. Ax was staring down at it. “We’re happy to treat your friend too, Marco.” Nora came in and shifted Euclid to her left so she could extend her hand to Ax to shake as well, which meant Peter had to let go of him. 

“Watch out for the dog, Ax,” Marco muttered.

Ax shook Nora’s hand and then gently grabbed Euclid’s paw and shook it too, and miraculously, he came away with all his fingers. Nora’s face lit up. Marco’s dad introduced Nora and Euclid and added, “And I’m Peter, but you can call me Marco’s Dad. Jake’s known me basically all his life and he still does. Are you friends with Jake, too?”

“I have hung out with both Marco and Jake, but I do not know Jake as well,” Ax lied. Marco was impressed. “Wellllll.” Less impressed.

“Well!” Marco echoed. “I guess there’s no convincing you we don’t have to go out, huh? Well, where’re we going?” 

He was hoping for Taco Bell or Burger King; someplace casual where Ax had already been would be a lower chance for disaster. Maybe that Italian place Marco had third-wheeled with Jake and Cassie last week -- nope. Marco’s dad had opened the phone book to the fancy, cool, expensive fine dining place that had just opened downtown.

“Dad, that place only takes reservations,” Marco protested, trying to get him to change his mind, but he was already calling.

“Make a PB&J if you’re already hungry,” Peter suggested as the phone rang on the other side, then turned on his Important Adult voice to make their reservation. 

Meanwhile, Ax and Nora had struck up a conversation about, what else, math. She was complimenting how well-versed in hyperbolic geometry he was for a 15 year old. Marco’s mouth fell open as he watched Ax scritch under Euclid’s chin. He was _charming_ her. He was charming her _stupid dog_. How was this happening? He wouldn’t be surprised if his math teacher was also an alien.

It was not a light day at the new, modern fine dining restaurant the Saturday after Thanksgiving, even in the early afternoon, and the earliest reservation Peter could manage was in two hours. 

“Cool,” Marco said. “We’re gonna go to my room and chill out until then. I’m sure you guys are tired and need to unpack, so, yeah. We’ll be ready.” He grabbed Ax by the wrist to drag him to his room, ignoring the thump thump of his pulse in his temples.

“See you soon! Nuh!” Ax said with a cheerful wave as Marco closed the door behind him and locked it.

Marco sat down heavily on his bed and let out a long sigh. Ax sat down next to him, placing his elbows on his knees so their faces were almost even in height. 

“Am I not doing well? Doooo-ing.” Ax had managed to minimize playing with mouth sounds in front of Marco’s dad and Nora, but he relaxed again around Marco.

Marco looked up at Ax, whose gaze was imploring; he was really trying his best. “You’re doing great,” Marco said in his closest approximation to encouraging. “So, um, this restaurant we’re going to. It’s really nice. You need to really really not go off the deep end here.”

“I believe this saying refers to artificial lakes? I will not enter any bodies of water.”

“Listen, Ax.” Marco felt so intense, so desperate, he actually reached up and held Ax’s face with both hands to really get through to him. He’d never done that before, to anyone, and Ax inhaled sharply through his nose. He’d probably crossed an Andalite personal contact boundary, but he needed Ax to pay attention. “You need to act normal in this restaurant. We don’t know who’s watching. As far as social demands go, this is a high difficulty setting. Just try to do what I do.”

Ax was staring at Marco, so still he was barely breathing. Maybe Marco had crossed a serious line. But, after opening and closing his mouth a couple times, Ax looked very serious and put his own palm gently on Marco’s burning cheek. “I will do it,” he promised.

~*~

Peter was annoyingly cheerful as he drove Nora, Marco, and Ax to the restaurant. He said he’d been looking for an excuse to go since the place opened and they were just along for the ride. Nora smiled back at the boys in a “how do we put up with him?” way. 

Ax had demorphed and remorphed right before it was time to leave and Marco had briefed him on the plan to demorph in the bathroom if his time started to run out. Peter had asked Marco to change into something nicer, but commented that Ax was already looking pretty sharp. Thanks, Rachel. 

They arrived, Peter gave their name to the gorgeous host, and they were soon whisked away by their server, who was dressed in all black formalwear with a skinny black tie. The place was similarly fancy and pretentious, with matte black walls, immaculate dark hardwood floors, dim lights, incomprehensible art on the walls -- the kind of place you’d take a date if you had been dating for a year and still didn’t know each other at all, and also had too much money. Marco groaned with burgeoning dread.

“Is something wrong?” Nora asked, in a voice one might use in a library.

“No,” Marco evaded, “the food just smells good.”

They were seated at a tall table on tall chrome stools. The menus were already at their places and to the side were about seven forks for each of them. Marco made sure Ax had a line of sight to the restroom, just in case of emergency. 

Nora and Peter took their seats on the stools. They came up higher than Marco’s hips and he actually had to hop up to the seat on his knees before settling on his butt. Not at all humiliating. Everyone looked at Ax, who was definitely tall enough to take his seat. Marco knew he was speculating that the balance of the stool on its three legs, coupled with his upright body position, would be very unstable. Ax looked up at Marco’s nervous face and steeled himself. He pulled the stool out and gingerly climbed up on the footrest, using his hands on the sides of the table for balance, and scooted carefully onto the seat. He hunched over the table a bit before attempting to straighten his back, wobbled, and tightened his grip on the table. He locked his ankles around two of the stool legs.

Marco had stopped breathing and his dad and Nora were staring. “Ax has, um, vertigo,” Marco explained. His dad’s mouth spread into the straight, slightly downturned line that forms when you’re really trying not to laugh. Nora patted Ax’s hand gently and told him that she’d struggled for years with a vestibular disorder before she had ear surgery. Ax nodded pitiably, looking stiff and nervous. 

The server came around for their drink orders, barely looking at them, even though he wasn’t writing anything down. Nora ordered water and Peter ordered a whiskey on the rocks.

“Coke with a lime,” Marco said, still looking at the menu.

Ax turned to look at the server and wobbled, holding the bottom of his seat with both hands. “I will also have a Coke. Coke.” Ax really emphasized those “K” sounds. The server looked at Ax, lifting a brow with barely veiled contempt and walked away. Marco felt a surge of defensiveness. Sure, Ax was weird and out of place, but who was that guy to judge?

The service was not friendly, but it was efficient, and their drinks were out in no time, along with a selection of crostini and croquettes. Marco’s dad, Nora, and shortly after, Marco, shook out their luxurious black napkins and spread them out on their laps. Ax observed and let go of his death grip with his left hand, trembling toward the napkin. He picked it up and fumbled with it, one-handed, but was too nervous to let go of the table with his right hand.

Marco’s ears were on fire. “Let me get that for you,” he offered, and took the napkin without getting confirmation. He unfolded it with shaking hands and pulled it across Ax’s lap. He couldn’t smooth out the lumps without basically petting Ax’s lap, and that wasn’t going to happen. Marco was about to spontaneously combust. He grabbed a croquette and stared down at it. He didn’t want to look at his dad or Nora.

Peter took a crostino, swirled the ice in his drink, took a sip, and focused genially on Ax. “So, where in Germany are you from?”

Marco tried not to panic and hoped Ax had read that part of the encyclopedia. Ax answered, “I am from Hamburg. It has the second largest population in Germany and a very mild climate.” He’d read that part of the encyclopedia.

“Oh! So, you’re a Hamburger!” Peter joked.

“Yes,” Ax said smoothly. “They say Hamburgers are very tasteful.” 

Peter looked like he would have bust a gut if he wasn’t in such a fancy restaurant and Nora giggled behind her hand. “You guys could go on a dad joke tour,” Marco said dryly. 

“You don’t have much of an accent,” Nora commented. She didn’t comment on the fact that Ax _did_ have an _odd_ manner of speech, and Marco was thankful for her tact.

“Well, I met him two years ago, Marco said,” Peter said thoughtfully. “That’s a long time to be an exchange student.”

“Yes,” Ax confirmed. “My time here has been very illuminating and I have chosen to stay rather than return to my people. At least until I finish my… schooling.”

Marco finally settled on putting his croquette in his mouth. It was crunchy on the outside and soft and savory on the inside and he wasn’t sure what it was. It had the deep flavor of food he usually regretted knowing the contents of, so he didn’t ask. He was impressed Ax was showing so much self-control around food; maybe that’s why he hadn’t actually eaten any yet. 

Marco looked back at the menu, which was basically incomprehensible to a kid whose staples were burgers and burritos. The menu was also prix fixe, though, so he just decided on the one with the best entree. 

Ax was staring intensely at the crostini platter.

Nora noticed. “Do you want one? Please help yourself.” As if to demonstrate, she picked one up herself and placed it in her mouth, taking a delicate bite and placing the rest back down on her plate. She closed her eyes and her shoulders relaxed. Swallowing, she said, “Peter, this is _so good_.” Peter smiled warmly at her and Marco turned his head, still not great at watching his dad be affectionate toward a woman.

If Ax’s eyes were lasers, those crostini would have been on fire. “Ax, just take one,” Marco pleaded.

Ax resettled into his stool, made sure his grip was good, and snatched a crostino with his left hand. He tried to imitate Nora’s graceful bite, but when the food hit his tongue, he stiffened, as if jolted in the mouth by electricity. He rocked back and Marco steadied him with a hand on his back. Marco hoped it would remind him to keep it together. Ax stuffed the rest of the crostino into his mouth. Peter and Nora were looking at each other, their hands, their shoes, the fancy light fixtures.

“It has been a long time since I have had food so good!” Ax effused in what was not his indoor voice. He seemed to forget that he was having balance problems and nabbed a croquette, popping it into his mouth in one bite. “This is also dee-lishus! What is this?” 

The server was back, his eyes narrowed and his brows raised. “They’re _zwezerikballetjes_ \-- sweetbread croquettes.” Marco’s stomach dropped to his feet -- he definitely hadn’t wanted to know. 

“Zwezerik!” Ax repeated. “What an exciting word!”

“Are you ready to order?” the server drawled, almost in a whisper. Marco crossed his arms and thought about how punchable his face was.

“Yes, the sea bass, please. And the paired wine,” Nora requested graciously, handing back the menu.

“The steak, mid-rare,” Peter requested.

“Chicken,” Marco said curtly. 

Ax took Marco’s cue again: “I will also have the chicken!” Marco felt so conflicted because even though Ax really was on his best behavior, he was still pretty embarrassing. Then again, Marco flashed back to all the times Ax had licked other people’s plates at Cinnabon and couldn’t help being impressed at all the effort he was making. He still really wished they were at Burger King.

The first course came shortly after they placed their orders -- cold soup, different for everyone except Marco and Ax. Marco didn’t really get the point of cold soup, especially in November, but he couldn’t deny that it was basically the best soup he’d ever tasted. Peter and Nora were being gross, laughing and sampling each other’s food. Ax was basically shoveling spoonful after spoonful into his mouth. At least he seemed less concerned about falling over. 

“You’ll taste more flavors if you eat slower,” Marco muttered.

“Is that true?” Ax replied in an enthusiastic stage whisper. Marco sighed and sipped his gazpacho, trying to force himself to have an out of body experience. 

And maybe it worked, because the table fell into a rhythm of comfortable conversation. Peter and Nora told Marco about their trip, including some genuinely fun stories, and they talked to each other about going back to work, laughing about their own dread. It was ironic that the things Marco dreaded were so much more dire than the adults’ problems.

The food kept coming, with a salad course, then a finger food course. At that point Ax excused himself and gingerly set the toe of his shoe down before gracelessly dismounting his stool. Marco watched as he entered the bathroom, knowing he would need to undress, return to Andalite form in a stall, remorph, and dress again. This day was one of the most stressful things Marco had endured in months, but it had also been a while since they’d been to the Yeerk Pool.

“Ax is so cute,” Nora commented. Marco looked away from the bathroom door, but he didn’t want to look at Nora, either. 

“He’s a bit strange,” Peter added. “Seems like he’s never been to a nice restaurant.”

“Well, Peter, I’ve never been to a restaurant this nice. He’s clearly nervous and wants to impress us. You kind of put him on the spot.” Maybe Marco did like Nora.

“You seem on-edge, kid.” Peter pointed his fork at Marco.

“That’s bad etiquette, Dad,” Marco grumbled.

“Lighten up,” Peter advised, and Marco kind of felt the same vibe Jake had given him earlier. Marco had too many dads. “Your friend is having a good time; everyone’s having a good time but you. You’re usually the first to find the fun in a situation. Or at least the funny.”

Marco knew all about where the funny in this situation was; the joke was just all on him. He was practically on a double date with his dad, and any second the alien boy he liked could snap and start stealing the food off stranger’s plates. And _this_ was the most normal his life had been in years. He started laughing. It was your choice: laugh or cry.

Once he started laughing, he had a hard time stopping and his dad started chuckling too. The snobby server came back and gave them both looks like an angry librarian, while clearing the plates from the last course away -- Ax missed out on most of that one. 

By the time Nora got scallops, his dad got little meatballs, and he and Ax got gnocchi, Marco started to worry about what was going on in the bathroom. “I’m, uh, gonna go check on Ax.” Marco wiped his hands off on his napkin and set it on the table, hopping off the stool.

He entered the bathroom and checked under the stall doors but didn’t see any feet. He pressed his body against the entrance to keep anyone from coming in and said quietly, “Ax?”

‹Marco!› Ax’s thought-speak “sounded” relieved. 

“What are you doing? Where are you?”

‹I am standing on top of the toilet seat with my hooves. It is actually quite disgusting.› Marco hoped he was able to close off his hoof-mouths, or whatever was going on down there that let him eat through his feet.

“What? Why are you doing that?”

‹I did not want my hooves to be seen in the case of humans entering, which has happened several times, so I stood on the toilet while I demorphed, and now my upper torso is pressed against the wall of the stall -- also quite disgusting -- but if I morph human, I fear I will fall.›

Marco put his face in his hands and started laughing again.

‹Is this a funny situation?›

“It’s hilarious, Ax-man.” Marco reassured him, “I’ve got the door, I’ll keep people out. Get down and go ahead and morph.”

Marco could indeed see under the stall as Ax’s front hooves clattered down, followed by each of his back hooves. His front and back hooves were almost overlapping in proximity and Marco imagined how he must have been curving his back to fit in there. Ax opened the door and allowed the front half of his Andalite body out -- the stall was indeed way too small.

‹I am sorry,› Ax said.

“What? Why?”

‹This experience is difficult for you. I am not fully in control of my human morph, especially when it comes to tasting. I am less than successful at this mission.›

Marco locked his feet and braced his back against the door in case of intruders. “No way, Ax, you’re doing great. I’m sorry I’m making you feel bad; I want you to have a good time.”

‹I am! This complex eating ritual is fascinating! Of course humans would elevate the experience of food to levels beyond even the cinnamon bun! I know I am not grasping the fine details of the ritual, but I am so stimulated!› Ax templed his fingers and his big main eyes crinkled with joy.

Marco swallowed, trying to get the hot feeling in his throat to go away. “Well, Ax, you’re missing out on the experience, so get back to human so we can finish it up. We’ve still got half the meal. And you aren’t going to want to miss dessert.”

‹Amazing!› Ax morphed quickly back to boy and put his clothes back on, which Marco made sure to straighten up.

They rejoined Nora and Peter at the table, who stopped talking right before they were in earshot. Nora was red-cheeked and giggling. She’d had a glass of wine paired with each course.

“There was no toilet paper in his stall,” Marco explained.

Peter and Nora were so impressed at Ax’s ability to engage with them about math and engineering that they really didn’t mind that every time a new course was delivered, he reached new heights of glee. Nora, on her fifth glass of wine, traded plates with him halfway through, and they both raved about each other’s food. Marco joked about how no one knew how to behave in this establishment but him.

When Ax’s chocolate lava cake was delivered, he took a bite and actually stood up, it was so overwhelming. Marco pointed out he dropped his napkin, which resulted in him hitting his head on the table and tripping the server, who glared daggers at them. Ax ignored all that, took his seat, and took another bite of the cake, scrunching his face with delight. Marco flipped off the server from behind Ax’s back. 

Peter whistled when he got the bill but laughed it off. Nora braced herself against him on their walk back to the car. Ax beamed all the way back to Marco’s. Marco tried not to stare at Ax, because he could see his dad looking at him through the rearview mirror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks wonderful betas! And everyone who is reading this!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Ax have to kill more time before they can work on the mission. Marco is too distracted to be a video game wizard. Marco's dad crashes their hang out session because he is a good troll dad. It's just a casual sleep over with your alien crush.

Peter and Nora went straight to their bedroom -- Nora wasn’t used to day drinking and was probably going to take a nap. Marco brought Ax to his room and locked the door so Ax could demorph. 

‹That was fantastic! Please let your father know how much I enjoyed it.›

“I think he knows. But I will.” Marco went over to his closet and changed into a T-shirt and sweats, obviously over his morphing outfit, because Spider-Man.

‹Are we going to try to extract information from the Yeerk’s communications now?› Ax asked, his stalk-eyes darting around the room. Marco wondered if Ax was noticing he’d cleaned and felt self-conscious. 

“Nah, we’ve gotta wait until Dad and Nora actually go to bed. The computer’s in the living room and we have to be sure they don’t walk in.” Marco turned on the TV, switched the channel to channel 3, and turned on his Sega. “This was my plan before my dad decided you should have a fine dining experience.” Marco untangled the controller wires and pulled them over to the edge of his bed, where he sat. 

Ax took the other controller, but his lower torso was sort of awkwardly bent in an L-shape between the edge of Marco’s bed and his desk. His stalk eyes looked around for a better place to sit. Marco scooted to the edge of the bed to make room. “You can sit on the bed with me -- sorry about the space.”

‹Should I morph human again?›

“If you want, but I think you’ll fit.” Marco didn’t think he had an ulterior motive, encouraging Ax to remain in his Andalite body. After all, he was getting used to the way Ax’s human morph elevated his heartrate and gave him hot and cold flashes. 

Ax sidled up beside the bed like he was going to parallel park his deer body. Carefully, he curled his back left leg up onto the bed, then his front left leg. With a mix of leverage from his long, muscular tail and pushing off with his right legs, he shifted his lower torso all the way onto the bed. He curled up his back legs and let his front legs fall over the front of the bed so he could reach the controller comfortably. Marco felt weird about how cute he found that. 

“I have _Street Fighter_ in, but I can switch it to something else, if you like. _Mortal Kombat_ is a little too close to home. I also have _Family Feud_ , but I don’t think you’d be great at it.”

‹This game is adequate,› Ax assured. 

Marco pressed Start and navigated to the character selection screen. He picked his go-to, Blanka, and Ax picked Dhalsim. They started the first match and Marco won in under a minute -- he’d had a lot of practice.

‹Show me the moves,› Ax demanded, presumably offended that he, a trained warrior-cadet, had been so easily bested.

Marco showed Ax the move list, warning him, “Dhalsim’s a good character, but he’s really hard to master, so you might want to try someone easier…”

‹He has superior reach and he has collected the skulls of his enemies to wear as a necklace. I will continue playing him,› Ax said with firm finality.

Marco beat Ax within two minutes of starting their rematch.

‹That was not fair, you just sat in the corner and electrified yourself.›

“All’s fair in _Street Fighter_ ,” Marco replied with a shrug and a smug grin.

They pressed rematch and Ax honed in on it, putting his hooves down on the ground to lean forward and really focus. Ax jutted his elbows out, committing to his starting attack. His soft, blue fur brushed up Marco’s arm and for a second all Marco could think about was burying his fingers in Ax’s fur.

Seriously?

‹I won!› Ax cheered, raising his hands over his head in celebration, controller and all. The cord pulled out of the front of the Sega. ‹Oops? That is the correct expression?›

“Yeah, oops,” Marco confirmed and rolled off the side of the bed to plug Ax’s controller back in. He shook his hands out, trying to dispel the mental images of running his fingers through Ax’s fur. He couldn’t imagine how disrespectful that had to be, let alone how _weird_ he knew it was. 

Marco sat back down, trying to preserve the distance between them. They had another rematch. In the middle, Ax let his lower body settle into a more relaxed position, shifting his weight towards Marco, and suddenly Marco was making full shoulder-to elbow contact with Ax’s side. Marco completely stopped playing because he couldn’t feel his hands and thought he may have actually disintegrated into a pile of ash. 

‹What happened? Are you letting me win?› Ax said, thought-speak voice full of incredulity. 

“No,” Marco croaked out a lie, “you did a freezing yoga move.”

‹How did I do that? Let me try again.›

They started another match, but Ax was still brushing up against him and all Marco could think about was how he had no idea Ax was so soft, like a rabbit or something. Marco lost over and over because any time Ax would shift, he would either lose contact or be shocked by touching him again and he had zero focus. 

‹Usually when we play video games, you are a challenging opponent. It isn’t as fun when you are easy to beat,› Ax said, almost scolding. 

Marco’s face was on fire. How much lower could he get? He didn’t even have video game skills anymore. He might as well just rub his face in Ax’s back fur and then jump out the window.

“Fine,” Marco said, “let’s play _Family Feud_.” He got up and switched cartridges and sat back down next to Ax. He didn’t care if Ax touched him because not only would Ax have no idea what was going on with this game, Marco had memorized most of the answers.

Sure enough, Ax found _Family Feud_ almost impossible. Marco lost it when Ax answered the question “Tell me something specific you have lost more than once” with “arm” --

‹It’s true, though,› he said with a huff.

“It’s supposed to be what regular people answered. Most people haven’t lost more than one arm,” Marco explained while catching his breath.

They played a few more rounds and Marco smirked when the question “Name an occupation whose people have big egos” came up and typed “Andalite warrior,” knowing he would get a big red X.

‹That is both untrue and not conforming to the format of the game! I concede that you win _Family Feud_. Is there anything else we can do while we wait?›

Marco went over some options and they decided to watch season one of _The X-Files_. Ax morphed human again and they went out to the living room. 

“You want some popcorn or anything?” Marco asked as he got the tapes off the shelf. 

“Yes!” 

Marco put a bag in the microwave and got them both cans of Pepsi. When the popcorn started popping, Peter came out to investigate, wearing his PJs. “What are you boys doing?”

“We are going to watch season one of _The X-Files_ , ECKS,” Ax answered, drawing out the sounds of “X” as punctuation. “I have only seen the occasional episode and Marco says I am missing out.”

“Oh, you are! Love me some Mulder and Scully,” Peter said, coming around the side of the couch. “You wouldn’t mind if I joined you, would you Marco?”

“No Dad, of course not.” Marco took the popcorn out, shook it, and poured it all into a big bowl. Marco was already so beyond the point of caring about being embarrassed in front of his dad. Maybe he felt better having him there, since it would hopefully curb his horrible urges to try to hold Ax’s hand or PET HIM. He hoped the latter wasn’t an issue with Ax’s human morph, but Marco didn’t cease to astound himself. He couldn’t believe how into blue centaurs with scorpion tails he apparently was.

He got his dad a soda too and sat down on the couch between them with the popcorn on his lap. He unpaused the first episode and they settled in. Ax got a handful of popcorn.

“I love grease and salt!” he exclaimed, crunching a few pieces.

“Me too,” Peter agreed, taking a handful himself. “My doctor told me I have to cut back, but I think I’d almost rather die.”

“There are fates worse than death,” Ax agreed, completely serious. Marco snorted.

They watched two episodes, during which Ax opened his mouth several times to comment on the aliens, then glanced over at Marco’s dad and just said, “This is inaccurate.”

Marco’s dad laughed. “You’re some kind of alien expert, huh?” 

“It is an interest,” Ax said, dispassionately. 

At the end of the second episode, Ax excused himself to go demorph. An uneasy silence fell between Marco and his dad, interrupted only by Marco’s popcorn chomping. Marco could tell his dad wanted to say something but was saving it and that made him nervous. Nora came out, in her nightgown, before Ax came back and leaned over the couch between Peter and Marco. Marco scooted away because she was in his bubble.

“What’re you guys watching?” she asked. 

Peter looked up at her, smiling and comfortable. “ _X-Files_. Ax has never seen it all the way through. You wanna join us?”

“Hm,” Nora thought about it, but said, “it’s too late, that show gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

“That’s why it’s good,” Marco scoffed.

“Well maybe you can deal with nightmares, but I need my beauty rest!”

She had no idea about nightmares. Marco replied, “I don’t _need_ beauty rest, I’m already maxed out.”

“I’ve raised such a modest child,” Peter said.

“You should be proud,” Nora agreed.

Ax returned and sat back down, but now Marco had shifted and their legs were touching. Marco tried not to react, but he could feel his neck and face warm.

“Hello again, Nora,” Ax said, swiveling his torso to look at her over the couch. “Did you have a nice nap?”

Nora laughed and Peter took a drink of his Pepsi, his eyebrows raised. Now Marco was blushing for a different reason and wrinkled his nose. Gross adults. 

“I had a fine nap,” she lied. “But I’m afraid I’m going to still be tipsy for days. We really overdid it, huh?”

“Is that possible?” Ax asked earnestly. The adults laughed again.

“Aren’t you _German_ , Ax? You should know,” Marco teased.

“Ah, yes,” Ax said, “my country is also known for beer. But that is a stereotype and I do not know.” Marco shook his head and chuckled. 

Nora kissed Peter on the cheek. “Come to bed soon. Good night, boys. Have fun.” She retreated back to their bedroom. 

Marco shifted back to the center of the couch and sank down dramatically, putting his hands over his face. “You guys are disgusting,” he said to his dad.

“Whatever,” Peter dismissed him and ruffled his hair, causing him to sink even further to avoid being touched. 

He was basically on his back and buried his head in the couch cushions. “Cut it out, Dad.” 

Peter took it upon himself to unpause the third episode and Marco un-burrowed and sat back up, reaching over his dad for his drink. This was the one with the stretchy, liver-eating guy; it was one of Marco’s favorites. Ax actually reacted physically several times, and Marco was surprised he could even be squeamish after everything they’d done in real life. 

When the episode ended, Ax said, “That one was very effective in terms of shock value and suspense.” 

“Is that how you say it made you wet your pants?” Marco teased. 

“My pants remain dry,” Ax said.

Peter wiped his hands on his PJ bottoms and braced his hands on his knees to push himself up. “Well kids, I’m going to get to bed now. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” He made significant eye contact with Marco and Marco lifted a brow, pointedly, as if to say, “What?” His dad lifted his eyebrows and tilted his head, as if that was some kind of helpful insinuation. 

“Okay, good night, _Dad_ ,” Marco said, shooing him.

When Peter was safely in their bedroom, Ax asked, “Are we able to move forward with the plan?”

“Let’s give it at least one more episode,” Marco advised. He got up to change the tape and sat back down where his dad had been, on the opposite side of the couch as Ax.

“We have wasted so much time today,” Ax said. It sounded like more of an observation than a complaint.

“Was it a waste? You had fun, right?” 

“It was very fun,” Ax agreed. 

The next episode was about aliens again, and now that Peter was gone, Ax was free to comment. “I think they are trying to portray a Skrit-Na abduction, but the details are all wrong.”

“It’s fiction, Ax. Chris Carter doesn’t know what Skrit-Na are.”

“He could be a Controller,” Ax suggested. 

Marco narrowed his eyes. “Huh. Maybe.”

They finished the episode and Ax went back to Marco’s room to demorph and remorph again. 

Ax sat down at the computer and Marco perched over his shoulder. Cassie had given Marco Mr. Tidwell’s contact info, which helped Ax locate his IP address. Within minutes, Ax had broken through Illim’s security measures and they were inside his computer. They both read through all his recent communications, both with his official Yeerk superiors and members of the peace movement. Marco used his previous notes to verify the list they had assembled from their previous efforts, marking off the Yeerks as Illim contacted them. Ax was able to keep following the threads to get their human identities confirmed as well. They weren’t able to confirm every name on the list -- maybe the Yeerks were going to torture and execute some of their own loyal ranks. Marco smiled to himself thinking of it. 

“Unless this is a trap, it seems that Illim is still a major player in the peace movement,” Ax said.

“Yeah, but what if it is a trap?”

“I suppose we will let Prince Jake decide what to do next,” Ax said. Ax took a few minutes to clean up their trail and add some extra security to Marco’s connection. When he was done, he shut everything down and sat back in the chair. “Should I leave now?”

“It was kinda late when Dad went to bed,” Marco explained. “He’ll be really worried if you aren’t here when he wakes up. It’d be dangerous to go home if you were human. So, uh, I think you have to stay all night. On the bright side, Dad will make you breakfast in the morning. He makes letter pancakes.”

“What are letter pancakes?”

“Guess you’ll find out.”

Marco got the extra pillows and blankets out of the linen closet and piled them up on his bedroom floor for Ax. Marco locked the door. He hoped his dad wouldn’t notice, but he couldn’t chance his dad checking on them and finding Andalite Ax, since he obviously couldn’t sleep in morph. 

‹What is that pile for?› Ax asked.

“You can sleep there,” Marco said.

‹Andalites generally stand while sleeping,› Ax clarified. He picked a book off of Marco’s bookshelf and walked over next to the window to read by moonlight. ‹If you are ready to sleep, please go ahead. I may or may not sleep, but either way, I will be fine.›

“Oh,” Marco said, feeling lame. “Are you sure? Do you need anything?”

‹I don’t need anything.›

Marco climbed into bed and turned off his lamp. He rolled over toward Ax, who seemed comfortable reading next to the window. Marco smiled in the darkness, unable to tell if Ax was watching him, but hoping it was too dark to tell. It was kind of nice having him there.

Marco was drifting off when Ax said, ‹Marco?›

“Yeah, Ax?” Marco said a bit groggily.

‹Your family is very nice. Thank you for allowing me to join you for the day.›

“No problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cherish [IoniaFletcher](http://archiveofourown.org/users/IoniaFletcher/pseuds/IoniaFletcher) like Ax cherishes pinwheel pastries. I love the people who leave comments like Marco loves sarcasm. I adore people who follow me on Tumblr like Peter adores dad jokes. I've been drawing extremely fluffy fanart of our dear deer boy on my tumblr, so if you want to check that out, [here's my art tag.](http://acavatica.tumblr.com/tagged/my-art) Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After breakfast, Peter sits Marco down for a fatherly discussion. Jake orders Team Finesse + Cassie to officially start the mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: father/son "let's have a talk," cliffhanger

The next morning, Ax was human before Marco woke up. They entered the kitchen to the smell of bacon frying, much to Ax’s delight. As Marco had predicted, his dad was making letter pancakes. Ax was so impressed with Peter’s food art, he ate his way through the whole alphabet. Marco just stuck to his own name. 

After he was done eating, Ax thanked Peter for his hospitality, told Marco he would see him “at school,” and left before 10 am. Marco sat back in his chair after Ax left, feeling a mixture of relief and loss. 

Peter was sipping his coffee across the table from Marco. “He sure can put food away, huh?”

“Yeah, he definitely can,” Marco agreed. He started to get up to take his plate to the sink, planning to go back to bed.

“Hey, let’s talk for a bit,” Peter requested. Marco settled back into his seat, dread settling at the bottom of his stomach with his five pancakes and several slices of bacon.

“Yeah?” Marco asked suspiciously.

“So… you wanna talk about Ax?” Peter continued to sip coffee casually, but Marco’s heart started racing.

“What about him?” He’s the weirdest kid ever? He’s clearly not from Germany? He goes to the bathroom with suspicious regularity? He ate them out of house and home and now Marco needed to get a job?

Peter set his cup down and looked Marco in the eyes. Marco squinted, trying not to look away. “Is he your boyfriend?” Oh.

Marco scooted his chair back instinctively. “Dad! No! Why would you think that?”

“Maybe because I’m not completely dense? Come on, Marco.”

Marco put his elbows on the table and his face in his hands. He wished he was anywhere else instead of having this conversation.

“Hey, kid, it’s okay. It doesn’t matter, it’s fine. I just want to talk about it.” Peter’s voice was so sincere and that only made it worse. 

“He’s not my boyfriend, I promise,” Marco choked out, not looking up.

“I need to tell you something,” Peter said. “Last week, Mr. Halloran told me about your journal. He read it and was ‘concerned’ and called me.”

Marco lifted his head and opened his palms, suddenly angry. “What? Seriously? He outed me?”

“I know, what an asshole,” Peter agreed. “How dare he do that -- he has no idea what your home life is like. You’d have been proud, I gave him a real piece of my mind. I think he’ll probably leave you alone from now on, at least.”

Marco gave a half smile and looked off at nothing. This felt so normal. 

“So he’s not your boyfriend, but you’re crushing pretty hard on him, huh?” Peter folded his hands on top of the table. Marco could tell his dad wanted to reach for him, but knew he wouldn’t want it. Marco stared at his dad’s hands and couldn’t speak. It was like the world was frozen and maybe all that existed was this kitchen, him and his dad, and nothing else mattered. At the same time, they were so insignificant, floating in space like one of the dust motes in the sun that was shining through the window. He might as well have been observing this conversation from outside his body.

“I know you don’t want to talk about it,” Peter admitted. “I just want you to know that I love you no matter what, and I don’t care who you’re with as long as you’re happy.”

Marco laughed. He could never actually be happy. No chance. He raked his fingers through his hair and tried to regain control. Laughing was probably not the right response.

“I bet he likes you back,” Peter said, smiling.

Marco crashed back into his body and looked up at his dad. “Why do you think that?”

“Just a feeling. He is really weird, Marco,” Peter added. Marco’s hand went back to his face, embarrassed again. “But I like him, a lot. He’s just a weird, weird kid.”

“I know, Dad. I’m glad you like him, but I don’t know if he likes me back,” Marco said in barely more than a whisper. “I’ve only ever known him to be interested in girls.” Andalite girls.

“Well, it’s easy to see he really cares about you. I think you should go for it; he’s hot.”

“Dad.”

“But if you do… You should be careful.”

“ _Dad_.”

“You know? Just be safe.”

“Dad!”

“I think you’re too young for sex, honestly, but I know teens will be teens.”

“DAD!” Marco stood up, his face hotter than Ax had ever made him feel.

“Don’t let me down,” Peter called to Marco’s back as he retreated to his room. 

He heard Nora come out and join his dad and caught Peter saying, “I think that went well,” before he shut his door.

Marco laid face down on his bed. He tried to think of the upcoming mission, but all he could think about was Ax, in all forms, having fun, not being lonely. How was Marco going to be the point man for this mission? Even his dad could tell he had it bad. He tried to think about what Ax said about Andalites -- that bonds among warriors made them stronger. But Marco disagreed. Caring too much made you weak, made you make bad decisions. He knew that firsthand. 

The phone rang. Marco didn’t move. Someone else got it.

Then his dad knocked, opened the door, and held out the cordless phone.“It’s Jake,” he said. Then he added, “Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic?”

Marco rolled out of his bed and glared as he took the phone. His dad smiled, rolled his eyes, and shut the door.

“Hello?” Marco said into the phone.

“Hey,” Jake said, trying to sound casual. “So I know we were supposed to hang out today, but Rachel and I have a family thing. You should still go ahead without us. The movie looks really good, so I think you should _watch it_.” 

“Yeah, okay. We’ll watch it and tell you how it is,” Marco confirmed. Jake wanted the rest of them to do a stakeout on Mr. Tidwell/Illim. And they would be missing their two heaviest hitters, in case things went south. Hopefully it was just an average reconnaissance mission.

~*~

‹Is he even here?› Tobias asked.

‹Who knows, no one but you can see anything,› Marco groused. Marco, Cassie, and Ax were all roaches and they were all buried somewhere in Tobias’ feathers, hanging on for dear life as he acted as the team jumbo jet.

‹Well, as far as I can tell, there’s only one light on in his house, so either he really likes to save electricity, or he’s not home,› Tobias said.

‹Jake said that Tom sent a message that they’re going to eliminate one of the peace movement members to try to expose the others› Cassie’s thought-speak was full of concern. 

‹Oh no,› Marco said, sarcastically.

‹We have to warn Illim,› Cassie insisted.

‹What if it is Illim?› Marco asked. ‹Then we’re all doomed.›

‹Hopefully we get to him first,› Cassie said.

Tobias landed in a tree outside Mr. Tidwell’s back door. ‹His foundation is cracking,› Tobias observed. ‹So you roaches should be able to get in there, no problem.›

‹No problem,› Marco repeated. ‹Sure, no problem. That’s always how it works out. Without a hitch. We always pull it off. Never once has a plan backfired.›

‹Be quiet, Marco,› Tobias ordered. So Jake had put him in charge again. It was the logical choice, but Marco still kind of resented it. ‹Okay, so drop off and head towards the house. There’s a crack under the window at two o'clock.›

Marco was pretty sure it was Ax who let go first. He had no problem taking orders from Tobias. Cassie and Marco dropped about the same time and hurtled to the ground, bouncing. Marco landed on his back and had to rock to upright himself. Stupid roach. Down in the grass forest, with each grain of dirt the size of a boulder, it was hard to tell what direction the house was in. Marco just started skittering and hoped for the best.

‹You’re all going in different directions, and you’re all wrong,› Tobias advised.

‹You try finding two o’clock as a roach,› Marco snapped back.

‹About face, everyone,› Tobias said. ‹I can’t tell you apart. Ax, wiggle your antennae. Okay, you go twenty degrees to the right. Cassie? Okay, seventy degrees left. Marco?› Marco wiggled. ‹Forty-five degrees right. Go. Okay, Cassie, a little bit right again. Okay, you’re all on track.›

Eventually they converged in a line with Ax in the lead and Marco bringing up the rear. They reached the edge of the house and Ax found the crack. They crawled in, the darkness not mattering to the roaches. They felt around with their antennae, using their roaches’ senses to navigate out of the walls, and also to stay together.

Marco thought he saw the barest sliver of light. ‹I believe there is a crack ahead,› Ax confirmed and they all went for it. They climbed out of the crack and found themselves behind the oven. There was so much garbage under there, and what Marco thought was a ladle. 

They dodged the lost stuff and shot out into the kitchen, which was marginally brighter than underneath the oven. ‹Hug the wall, only go out into the open one at a time,› Marco said, and they moved out, Ax still in the lead. They moved room to room, with Tobias confirming he had eyes on them through the windows. There was no sign of Tidwell anywhere.

‹Has he already been taken?› Cassie asked nervously.

‹He may have been alerted and could be in hiding. If I have access to his computer, I may be able to find some information,› Ax suggested.

‹I have a bad feeling,› Marco said.

‹When don’t you have a bad feeling?› Tobias asked. ‹Ax, go ahead to the office and do it. I’m looking at the computer right now and it’s clear. Any sign of trouble, morph back. Cassie, Marco, hold back.›

‹Affirmative,› Ax answered and moved out to the office. Marco and Cassie stayed out of sight near the entrance to the hallway. 

A few minutes later, Tobias lost it. ‹Ax! AX!› No response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks [IoniaFletcher](http://archiveofourown.org/users/IoniaFletcher/pseuds/IoniaFletcher) for empowering me to do hurtful things to Marco and Aximili. Thanks [mops](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mops/pseuds/mops) for exploding my head with "senpai noticed me" feels.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ax has been taken by the Yeerks and Marco will do anything to get him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: very brief but graphic violence

‹What happened?› Cassie asked. Marco had already started scrambling toward the hall.

‹Get out of there! Marco, stop! Ax just vanished, mid-morph. Don’t morph. Stay out of sight. Retreat. Now!› 

Marco fought the urge to run to where Ax had been and forced himself to turn back to the kitchen. He swore at Tobias the whole way out. He didn’t care that Tobias cared about Ax just as much or more than he did, and would be blaming himself. This was his fault.

Marco and Cassie evacuated successfully, and Tobias dove down and grabbed them in his talons. They skittered up his legs, back into his feathers, and he flew away at top speed. Cassie was silent. Marco wasn’t. 

‹I knew this would happen! I knew it wasn’t safe! How could you let him morph in there? Did they disintegrate him from space?› Marco yelled.

‹ _...I am not disintegrated…_ › Ax’s thought-speak was weaker than he’d ever heard; he sounded impossibly far away. But Marco heard it. 

‹Ax?! Ax, where are you?› Marco yelled.

‹He’s gone, Marco,› Tobias said.

‹Shut up, I just heard him. Listen. Ax!› Marco called out, trying to will his thought-speak further.

‹ _I hear you, Marco. Where are you?_ › Ax’s faint voice was barely coming through. It was like trying to tune into a radio station from the next town over if the static was just silence, distance.

‹We’re flying away from Tidwell’s. Where are you? Are you okay?›

‹Are you talking to him?› Cassie asked. 

‹ _I believe a Z-space transporter has teleported me underground. I am in a cell with solid plastic walls. I am still a roach, so it is hard to determine, but I think I feel screaming. I think I am in the Yeerk Pool._ ›

‹We’re going to come get you,› Marco promised. ‹How long do you have?›

‹ _Eighty of your minutes,_ › Ax answered.

‹They’re your minutes, too,› Marco answered desperately. ‹Tobias, fly toward the Riviera, we need to get into the Yeerk Pool. We’re going to pay a visit to one of Illim’s friends.›

Tobias veered off in the direction Marco had indicated. They were silent for a while, but then Tobias said, borderline incredulous, ‹How are you able to talk to Ax all the way down in the Yeerk Pool? I’ve been yelling for him since he disappeared, but he can’t hear _me_.›

‹I have no idea.› Marco didn’t have time to worry about it. The cogs in his brain were grinding on overdrive as he tried to put a plan together to rescue Ax on time. It was going to be tight. ‹Drop me and Cassie off on Emerson and go tell Jake what’s going on,› Marco ordered.

‹I want to go,› Tobias said stubbornly.

‹You can’t,› Marco said. ‹Cassie and I are going to have to get past the _gleet_ biofilter.›

‹How are we doing that?› Cassie asked.

‹You have to morph Yeerk and infest me,› Marco said. ‹Tobias, leave.›

‹What?› Cassie said in nervous thought-speak.

‹Are you sure about this?› Tobias asked. He landed on the ground and Marco climbed down, followed closely by Cassie.

‹We’re going to save Ax,› Marco insisted. Tobias flew away. Marco called out to Ax, ‹Can you still hear me?›

‹ _Yes_ ,› Ax answered, still faint.

‹I won’t be able to talk to you when I demorph. Please check in with me every ten minutes.›

‹ _Okay_.›

Tobias had dropped Marco and Cassie off in a deserted alley and they demorphed. Marco was so harried, he actually finished morphing before Cassie. She looked distressed. “Marco, what are we doing?”

“Like I said, you’re going to morph Yeerk and infest me. I’m going to morph an old guy --”

“Why do you have that morph?” She frowned, ethics getting in the way again.

“I don’t have time to explain,” Marco moaned. “I’ll tell you about it later, we just have to do this. You do all the talking with the Yeerks.”

“Have you thought this through?” Cassie’s face was etched with worry.

“No! But we have to save Ax, we only have a little over an hour, just morph.” Marco held his hand out and started to change: he became taller, older, paler, balder. It was a subtle morph, but morphing a person was still weird, especially since his morphing outfit was stretched to the limit by the larger, out of shape body.

Cassie's mouth opened and closed. She wanted to argue more, but Marco had shut her down and she knew they had little time to waste. She took a deep breath and started morphing. Her skin lost definition and changed to a dark, greyish green. She gained the sheen of a full body coating of mucus. All of her features softened until she was just a small lump of slimy flesh. 

Marco, now in the body of Mr. Grant, fought his desire to gag as he picked up Cassie and put her body to his ear. His heart was racing. He knew he had to do this, but it was so deplorable, he had to fight the urge to throw her on the ground and stomp her. She reached out and felt his ear with her cold, wet palps before sliding her way into his ear canal. He couldn’t really feel it, but it was creepy enough that his hands shook under her tiny body. Cassie made contact with his brain and he fell to his knees. She had control of his muscles. 

She stood and brushed off their knees, then hesitated a bit. Marco's thoughts surfaced unwillingly -- he pictured his mom, both her laughing face and her broken, bloody face as she convinced him to let Visser One have her again -- his dad, both his easy-going encouragement and his dirty depression after they lost his mom to the Yeerks. He saw his nightmares, fresh like they were happening, right before he woke up gasping. He pictured Ax.

‹Oh,› Cassie said inside his mind, ‹ _Oh_.› Marco forgot she would be able to access his thoughts and memories like this. But of course she would. ‹Marco…›

‹I don’t want to talk about it,› Marco thought back at her. ‹You see Odret Two-Three-Nine’s address?›

‹Yes.› She could see everything he was planning, she could see the blank space in the plan after they got into the Pool; she didn’t act like she was going to interfere. Marco tried not to think about how she could see everything in him. Every shameful thought, everything he regretted. It was _Cassie_ and she was able to read him like a book. It was too late now, there was no other choice, but Marco wished he could shut his thoughts off to her like closing a door. He couldn't.

Cassie moved Marco’s body down the street. On the way, Ax checked in at the first ten minute mark. They walked up to an unassuming house. She knocked on the door. Marco was terrified the Yeerk inside wouldn’t give them the chance to explain. 

A woman with a closed off expression answered the door, but Cassie and Marco looked past her into her kitchen, where a familiar man sat.

“Mr. Tidwell!” Cassie called out. 

The woman at the door tensed up, face shifting into an expression of fear and defiance behind thick glasses. Marco couldn’t examine her for hidden weapons because Cassie was making eye contact with Mr. Tidwell, who stood up and came up behind the woman. “Do I know you?”

“It’s Cassie,” she whispered. “I’m uh, in disguise. It’s good to see you! We were coming to warn you tonight.”

‹Cut the chit-chat,› Marco thought impatiently.

Tidwell beckoned them in. “Prove it,” he demanded.

Cassie held up Mr. Grant’s hand and started to partially demorph. Did her artistic controlled morphing extend to Marco’s body? It seemed to, because only his hand changed, getting smaller, smoother, browner. Weird.

Tidwell nodded and said, “My contacts already warned me, but my cover is blown.” 

“We’ve been monitoring Yeerk communications and we have a list of the others they know about. And a plan to save them. But we need your help; one of our allies has been captured.” Cassie continued to explain Marco’s plan. 

While she was talking, Ax checked in. ‹ _Marco, it has been another ten minutes. I have fifty of your minutes left._ ›

Cassie stopped talking. ‹I heard that,› she thought-spoke to Marco.

‹Because I can,› Marco replied. He couldn’t read Cassie’s thoughts as a Yeerk, but he could kind of get feelings from her, and he felt something warm, maybe empathy, coming from her. 

‹Ax!› she called. No response.

“Cassie?” Tidwell waved his hand in front of their face.

“Sorry,” Cassie answered. “So, uh, will you help us get in?”

“You realize that if I go down there, neither me nor my host is coming out alive.”

Cassie hesitated. “That’s part of the plan,” she confirmed, their voice cracking and their eyes avoiding Tidwell’s gaze. Marco couldn’t believe she was going along with this.

Tidwell/Illim went quiet. The Yeerk was having a discussion with his host. Finally, Illim answered, “Without the Kandrona I’m going to be dead in two days. Maurice says he wants to cooperate with you if you can save the rest of our allies. He says without me and the movement, he has nothing to live for, anyway.”

Marco had trouble believing that that Tidwell felt that way about his Yeerk, but didn’t question it because it worked in his favor. Cassie promised, “We’ll help the rest of them.”

Illim nodded and led them to his car. He drove them to what looked like an abandoned liquor store. Ax checked in once while they were driving. They entered through a keypad in the back; Marco made sure to note the combo just in case they needed it later. Illim led them down into a cellar that had empty wine shelves along the walls. He pressed a panel on the wall and it released with a click, swinging outward like a door. 

“There’s a _gleet_ biofilter in this elevator,” Illim warned. “It will scan you for Yeerk presence.”

“I’m the Yeerk,” Cassie responded. 

Illim nodded, unfazed, and led them into the elevator, keying another combo. The light of the biofilter scanned them and the elevator began to drop. 

‹ _Marco? I have thirty minutes_ ,› Ax called. He sounded a lot closer as they descended. Marco was relieved that they were going the right way but nervous about their remaining time.

Cassie tested, ‹Ax, can you hear me?› 

Still no response. The Yeerk Pool was huge.

They exited the elevator onto a stairwell. ‹Get out of me and morph something small,› Marco commanded.

‹I know,› Cassie said. She held Marco’s hands up to his ear and started to disengage. She was halfway out when she lost control of Marco’s muscles. This time he was prepared and only wavered a bit. She plopped out, slimy, wet, and now warm from his body heat, into his hands. 

He tried not to grimace in front of Illim as he put her down and began to demorph himself. He completed before her again, this time mostly because the shift was so minimal, and immediately started morphing gorilla. 

Finished, he flexed his leathery gorilla fists and called out to Ax, ‹Hey, we’re coming down the stairs to the pool. Be ready to demorph.›

‹ _It is good to hear from you_ ,› Ax responded and Marco felt a surge of warm relief mixed with cold anxiety that faded quickly into the background.

Cassie, a fly, had buried herself somewhere in Marco’s fur. Marco and Tidwell continued to descend. The stairwell was so long that Ax checked in at the twenty minute mark. At the end of the staircase, he seized Tidwell’s arm and stepped into the open space. It was too late for Tidwell to change his minds now. 

‹Who is in charge here?› he broadcast his thought-speak to everyone in the pool and tried to sound like an Andalite. ‹I am here to propose a trade.›

General panic erupted around the pool and shouts of “Andalite!” resonated off the walls. Eventually the crowd of Controllers and voluntary hosts parted to let a human woman step forward to face him. 

“Andalite,” she sneered, “I’m Sub-Visser Sixteen. I’m the highest ranking Yeerk in the Pool at this time. I see you have brought the traitor, Illim Three-Eight-One.”

‹I want to exchange my comrade for the leader of the Yeerk peace movement,› Marco stated.

“What makes you think I would find that a fair trade?” Sub-Visser Sixteen crossed her arms. “Visser Three is on his way and when he sees I have captured an Andalite, I’ll be promoted, at least to the rank of Nine.”

‹By the time he gets here, my friend will be permanently trapped in that insect morph. You can’t even torture that insect. He will not give you any useful information. _This_ ,› he said with harsh arrogance, shoving Tidwell forward, ‹is the leader of the Yeerk peace movement. He can give you the information of all the other members. You will wipe them out and rid yourself of the whole traitorous contingent.›

She was clearly thinking about it. “Why don’t I just kill you and take him and your friend?”

‹Because you are surrounded by my allies hiding in morph,› Marco bluffed. ‹We will execute you if you do not cooperate.›

Her eyes darted around. She couldn’t prove it and the Andalite bandits had foiled her superiors more times than they would even admit to. Marco could see the calculations going on behind her eyes.

“Get the roach,” Sub-Visser Sixteen commanded. Marco hoped Ax wasn’t too far, because he had less than fifteen minutes left. 

‹I am being moved,› Ax said, his thought-speak sounding normal again. ‹And I have ten minutes,› he confirmed Marco’s estimate.

‹As soon as they open the box, demorph,› Marco said in private thought-speak. 

Minutes later, two Hork-Bajir-Controllers wheeled a person-sized plastic cage containing a single roach up behind Sub-Visser Sixteen. It was lifted up on a dolly, just a regular piece of industrial equipment. It always struck Marco as weird how the Yeerks used the infrastructure of the cultures they conquered.

“Give us Illim Three-Eight-One,” Sub-Visser Sixteen demanded.

‹Let my comrade out first,› Marco insisted. He manhandled Illim/Tidwell a bit. 

Tidwell was breathing heavily and muttered, “Make sure they cannot have us.”

‹Don’t worry. Thanks for your help. And sorry, it’s going to really suck,› Marco told him privately.

“Open the cage,” Sub-Visser Sixteen demanded. The Hork-Bajir engaged a mechanism that opened one side of the enclosure -- the single wall looked like a bubble popping.

‹You’re free, Ax!› 

Ax motored off as quickly as possible, trying to dodge out of the way of the Hork-Bajir feet, and started demorphing. 

“Hand him over,” the Sub-Visser hissed.

‹Sorry, Sub-Visser, I don’t make deals with Yeerks,› Marco grabbed Tidwell’s head and compressed it between his two huge gorilla hands. He felt it collapse like a melon. If he’d been human, he would have been sick. Pieces of Tidwell’s skull fell between his fingers, but he made sure to continue squeezing, until he felt the Yeerk inside ooze through his fingers. The horror of what he’d done seemed to freeze even the Controllers standing by.

“NO! Andalite scum!” Sub-Visser Sixteen bellowed, “Kill them! Kill them!” 

Marco started throwing bloodied punches as Hork-Bajir surrounded him. He grabbed one by the arm and swung it like a hammer throw, using it as a weapon to slice at the other converging Hork-Bajir. The Hork-Bajir nearest Ax slashed at his clumsy, scuttling half-roach, half-Andalite form. TSEEEW! A Dracon beam burned the Hork-Bajir’s arm to a crisp. Marco looked up at the source of the beam. It was a Hork-Bajir. He tensed in momentary confusion. Had it missed its intended target?

‹It’s me,› Cassie said flatly. 

Ax finished morphing and whipped his tail in a wide circle, severing every arm holding a Dracon beam within his reach. Marco could only briefly dwell on how breathtakingly awesome Ax was as he threw Controllers aside to get to Sub-Visser Sixteen. He grabbed her and held her in a headlock. Tidwell’s blood smeared in her hair.

“STOP!” the Sub-Visser yelled to her underlings.

Marco scanned the cavern for an exit strategy. He looked up at the space the rogue Andalites had burned through the McDonald’s, but the Yeerks had already sealed that hole completely. Marco dragged his hostage to a shipping tunnel. Cassie and Ax converged on the tunnel. ‹Let us leave, Sub-Visser,› Marco threatened, his black leathery hand circling her throat.

“Fine. Go,” she hissed, her eyes betraying her terror.

Marco threw her onto the ground and the three of them escaped out the transport tunnel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These action chapters are really hard for me to write, so I hope it's not awful. Feedback appreciated.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco deals with the aftermath of saving Ax. Ax deals with it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: throwing up, but I'm emetophobic myself so IT IS DESCRIBED MINIMALLY and you should be okay

They ran at full tilt, worrying that security measures would stop them, but it never happened. Cassie was still clutching her Dracon beam when they emerged onto a metal hangar that automatically sealed behind them as they stepped off. They ran deeper into the forest, trying to cover their tracks, until Marco felt like it was safe to demorph. 

Cassie wouldn’t look up from the ground, couldn’t look at Marco, and was biting back tears. She rubbed her hands on her bike shorts over and over, like they were dirty. Marco looked down at his own hands -- he still had faint traces of blood up to his elbows. He felt suddenly, irrationally angry at Cassie -- for being in his brain, for knowing every bit of darkness in him, for not having to be like him. Marco tried not to say that he had been right all along. That it would have been better for Illim and Mr. Tidwell if they had just killed them when he suggested it the first time. He still couldn’t see any solution that didn’t end with Tidwell’s death, but he knew it didn’t have to be like that.

He could still feel Tidwell’s head collapsing in his hands, and Illim squishing between his fingers along with Tidwell’s crumbly brain matter. His stomach suddenly seized and he heaved, clutching his torso and falling to his knees. He had a coughing fit and blinked, his eyes burning. 

He wiped his face with the back of his arm and panted. “Go home,” he told Ax and Cassie. Cassie still didn’t look at him, but she didn’t need to be told twice and morphed osprey in record speed. She flew away as soon as her morph was complete. Ax took a step forward and held out a delicate hand, but Marco waved him away. “Go find Tobias and tell him you’re okay. I need to be alone.”

Ax morphed and took off, but while he was still in thought-speak range -- whatever that meant anymore -- he said, ‹Marco, thank you for saving me.›

Marco was on his knees with his hands planted on the forest floor, pine needles biting his skin, disgusted, exhausted, overwhelmed. He’d killed before, sometimes even humans, but never like that. And never with consent. He didn’t know why that messed with him, but for some reason, it did. He needed to go home, but he almost didn’t know if he would make it. Or if he wanted to.

In the end, he morphed osprey and flew mechanically. He let the bird mind take over for the most part and only thought about what he was doing when he veered off path. He flew in through his open window, thankful his dad hadn’t closed it this time. 

He immediately went to the bathroom to shower. He watched what remained of Tidwell’s blood swirl down the drain, feeling numb and too close to the surface of his own skin at the same time. He was glad water was hitting his face because he didn’t want to know if he was crying or not. The water eventually ran clear and then cold, but he didn’t care. 

He remembered Cassie opening his brain and himself opening Tidwell’s brain and he couldn’t breathe, heat rising sharply in the back of his throat. He got out of the shower, put on a robe, and vomited again. Tears streamed down his face and he shifted his weight from his knees to the balls of his feet, waiting to be sick again. He was.

There was a knock at the door. “Marco, are you okay?” Peter sounded concerned.

Marco rinsed out his mouth and splashed his face, trying not to look in the mirror. He opened the door and his dad took an involuntary step back. “I’m really sick,” he rasped.

“Whoa, yeah, you look…” His dad hesitated and Marco wondered what he was trying not to say. Did he look how he felt? Scary? Like someone else? Like a murderer? “Rough. Do you need help?” Peter lifted and dropped his hands kind of helplessly.

“I’m gonna go to bed,” Marco answered. “I might not be able to go to school in the morning.”

“Just get some rest,” Peter agreed.

Marco cocooned himself in all of his blankets and lay in the dark facing the window. His dad brought him water, a hunk of bread, and chicken soup, but he ignored them. He eventually fell asleep but woke over and over to screaming. It was his own voice.

~*~

Marco’s dad and Nora went to work the next day. His dad left him alone, but the sounds of them getting ready woke him up, not that he’d slept much anyway. After they left, he managed to get out of bed, clean himself up, and made some toast. He drank what remained of Peter and Nora’s morning pot of coffee and started to feel almost human again, as long as he kept his mind blank. It was surprisingly easy because his whole body felt like a staticky TV channel. He turned on the morning news and sank into the couch, staring past the screen and ignoring whatever the news anchors were saying about the weather and the holiday shopping season.

The doorbell rang. Probably some package delivery. He’d let the guy leave it. The bell rang two more times. Then again. Groaning, Marco rolled off the couch and wrenched open the door, ready to really offend whatever Jehovah’s Witness or solicitor was on the other side. It was Ax in human morph. He should have known.

“Hey,” he said, voice hoarse from screaming all night.

“Hello. May I come in?” Marco stepped back and waved him in. Ax sat on the couch and swiveled around to look at Marco, who was still standing next to the door and taking Ax in. Marco had been so focused on the horrors of what he’d had to do to save Ax, he’d hardly appreciated that he had. “Can we talk?” Ax asked. Marco deadbolted the door and joined Ax on the couch.

Ax turned so they were facing each other and they sat, looking at each other for the longest minute of Marco’s life. Suddenly Ax’s hands were on Marco’s face and his lips were on Marco’s. Marco gasped into Ax’s mouth, but didn’t move to stop him. Ax’s lips were soft and his hands were warm and Marco curled his own hands up around Ax’s neck, pulling him closer. This was a better dream than the ones he’d been having, but now he would have to wake up and drink coffee again.

Their foreheads pressed together, Ax pulled back to catch his breath. Marco was also panting, his heart pounding. Ax’s thumb was still brushing Marco’s cheek. “I’m not complaining,” Marco said sardonically, “but is this what you had in mind for our talk?”

“Yes.” Ax kissed him again, and this was the best way anyone had ever shut Marco up. Their chests touched and Marco wasn’t sure what to do with his hands. He cupped Ax’s jaw, his thumb encircling his ear. Ax seemed to like that and deepened the kiss. Ax’s body was pressing him back into the couch arm. Marco couldn’t hear anything but their ragged breaths mixing and his pulse throbbing through his whole body. 

Ax’s hand gently fisted in his hair, pulling just enough for Marco to learn he was into that. Marco groaned and put a hand on Ax’s chest, pushing him up. He couldn’t believe he was the one to stop it, but it was too much, too fast. He needed to catch his breath. And pinch himself. And deal with the way his stomach was churning.

“Was that okay to do?” Ax said, shifting nervously.

Marco laughed once, then shut his mouth, surprised at his own voice. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to fix the damage without a mirror. “It was more than okay,” Marco reassured Ax in a quiet voice, not meeting Ax’s eyes. He wished this had happened when he felt less sick with himself, but Ax had never had perfect timing.

“I believe you have been missing my signals,” Ax said.

“Well, they’re coming in loud and clear now,” Marco affirmed, looking up at the ceiling.

“Yes, that is why I needed to talk. You were able to communicate with me out of normal range, when I was in the Yeerk Pool. The signal was, as you say, loud and clear.”

“What was with that?”

“Some Andalites with very close relationships have extended thought-speak range,” Ax explained. “Some pairs report the ability to feel the other’s presence, even off-world. These relationships are usually mated bonds.”

Marco choked and his already flushed face blazed so acutely his ears started ringing. If his face got any hotter, his head would explode. That over-the-top mental picture suddenly and unwelcomely shifted from a picture of his own head to Tidwell’s, and he was back in the Yeerk Pool, Tidwell’s head in his hands.

He balled his hands into fists and wrapped his arms around his already unsettled stomach. He swallowed and looked back up at Ax, studying his face, trying to bring himself back to where he really was. It was over, Ax was safe, nothing he’d done mattered more than that. 

“So I was able to hear you because we’re…” He refused to say mates. That was ridiculous. “Into each other?”

“I believe it was also because of the dire situation. It requires further testing. Ting.”

“Sure,” Marco agreed. “Extra superpowers, always good.” Marco smirked and added, “It was an emergency, but I think Tobias was jealous I was able to reach you, but not him.”

“Yes, when I explained it to him, he became mildly disgruntled. You know how he puffs his chest feathers?”

Marco laughed and then frowned. “Tobias knows?” 

“I told him that I touched your face when we made spaghetti,” Ax said, as if that was an explanation.

“So?”

“Touching the face with the hands is a very intimate expression for Andalites. It's the equivalent of human kissing.”

Marco’s mouth fell open. Not only had Ax done that, he’d done that. “We’ve been Andalite kissing and you didn’t tell me?!”

“I was selfishly enjoying your ignorance,” Ax admitted. “I'm sorry.”

Marco sputtered. 

“I believe Prince Jake also suspects something is ‘up.’ He has at least noticed you acting differently. He discussed your behavior with me before assigning us to work together the second time.” Ah, so that’s what he talked to Ax privately about. Marco had been right, more or less. As usual.

Marco ground the heel of his hand into his eye socket. He needed more coffee. “Well, Cassie was in my brain as a Yeerk last night, so we can assume she told him. If he wasn’t sure, he’s gotta be now.”

“You let Cassie infest you as a Yeerk?” Ax raised his eyebrows and curled his lip in overt disgust.

“I had to to get into the Yeerk Pool. I guess now Little Miss Empathy has no choice but to see where I’m coming from. If not, at least she’ll have a few sleepless nights.” 

Silence passed between them and Marco wondered if Ax didn’t know what to say to Marco’s version of looking on the bright side. Maybe Ax knew it was bravado and Marco was living one of his nightmares. Of all his friends, Cassie was the person he’d least want poking around his dark places. It had all gone so fast, he hadn’t had time to feel properly violated. Now he’d had hours to think about all the things he was willing to do, all the plans he didn’t suggest because he knew how the others would look at him. Now Cassie would look at him that way.

After a couple minutes of Marco anxiously noting every movement of Ax’s eyes studying him, Ax reached over Marco’s shoulder and buried his fingers in the back of Marco’s hair. Goosebumps prickled up Marco’s arms and he shuddered with chills when Ax’s fingertips brushed the back of his neck. 

“What are you -- are you petting me?” Marco tensed his shoulders and controlled his instinct to pull away.

“Is that inappropriate? I have wanted to touch your hair for some time, but I could not appreciate it while distracted by the many stimuli I experienced when we kissed. It is as thick and soft as it appears.” 

Marco leaned into Ax’s hand, both to let Ax know it was okay and to try to make himself feel more comfortable, more in control of the interaction. “It’s a bit weird,” he admitted. “But I can’t say anything, because I really wanted to pet you when we were playing video games the other day.”

“When I was in my Andalite body? Interesting.” Ax took a second to process before continuing, “Our fur is superior, but it's not permissible to touch another Andalite in this way, unless you are family and conducting a grooming ritual. It's so offensive, it may initiate a tail fight challenge. Chal-ennnj.”

“You were rubbing up against me, I couldn’t help noticing your _superior fur_ ,” Marco objected. “If petting is so impermissible, then why are you petting me?”

“Human physical contact requirements are less stringent,” Ax explained in a haughty tone.

“Oh, are they? Thanks for letting me know what my whole species finds acceptable,” Marco scoffed. “It’s more on a case-by-case basis, FYI. Personally, I’m not a touchy-feely human.”

“Should I stop?” Ax seemed genuine, but he was also leaning closer and tilting his head in a way that made Marco nervously lick his lips.

“You don’t have to,” Marco admitted. 

Ax leaned in further and his left hand joined his right in Marco’s hair. Marco shivered again. He sighed and closed his eyes, willing himself to let go and enjoy this. Ax pulled him in and Marco’s muscles slackened when their lips met again. Their chests pressed together, rising and falling with their quickening, synchronized breaths. Marco wasn't sure what he'd expected, but he was glad Ax kissed at a less frantic pace than he ate. He would hate to meet the same fate as a cinnamon bun.

Marco snickered into Ax’s mouth and Ax pulled back. “Is something funny?” Ax asked.

Marco shook his head. “Just thinking that you’re kind of good at this.”

“I haven’t had much practice, so that is gratifying. Gra-tih-fye.” 

“Who would you practice with? Do you kiss Tobias on the beak before he goes to sleep?” Marco teased.

“I wouldn't practice kissing Tobias because he is my brother’s son. And I believe his beak is not quite analogous to a human mouth. But I have kissed before,” he reminded Marco. Oh yeah, Estrid. Marco tried not to frown. Ax hadn’t liked her; he was being a double agent, playing her. That’s what he’d said. Ax continued, “This is much more enjoyable.”

“I hope so,” Marco grumbled, adding in his head, _Since I’m not an attempted genocidist… yet_. He decided to let it go and said aloud, “So you’re more experienced, huh?”

“It was required for one of us to make the first move,” Ax softly ran his fingertips from Marco’s temple to the corner of his mouth.

A horrifying realization dawned on Marco. “Shit. You have been the smooth one this whole time, haven’t you?”

“Thank you for finally noticing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now everyone can say "FINALLY." It's funnier if you say it in Tobias' voice.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Jake catch up on recent events and Marco is enlisted to continue the mission.

Marco both did and didn’t want to be alone all day, but he worried his dad would come home on his lunch break to check on him, so Ax left when he needed to demorph. Marco flipped through the channels without focusing on anything. His mind was swimming with recent murder and more recent make outs. He still had to figure out how he was going to save the rest of the Yeerk peace movement. 

So he went back to bed.

His head fell like an anvil onto the pillow. By some miracle, he passed out as soon as he rolled himself up in his blankets. He didn’t stir again until he heard the door being unlocked -- he’d become a light sleeper since he had to worry about being murdered every time he closed his eyes. He looked at his alarm clock; it was almost four, so it was probably Nora getting home from work. He unrolled and flopped out of bed to make sure he was right.

He poked his head out of the hallway and was surprised to see Jake coming in behind Nora. 

“Marco! Are you feeling any better?” Nora put her bags down on the kitchen table, followed by a stack of papers she had to grade. “Jake asked how you were doing, and he thought you’d like a visit. If you’re too tired, I’ll take him home.”

Jake was smiling casually at Nora, but Marco knew he was there to talk about what happened. Marco had a knee jerk urge to tell Nora to just take him home to really mess with him. “I’m feeling a lot better, thanks Nora. You wanna see the new X-Men issue, Jake?” Good little soldier.

“Yeah man, I heard this one has Morlocks and they remind me so much of my best bud.” Marco led Jake back into his room and shut the door behind him. 

They both let their normal kid masks fall and stood staring, stone-faced at each other for a minute. Marco crossed his arms, faltering under Jake’s sober gaze. Jake probably did think he was a Morlock. Joke was on him -- they were all Morlocks.

“Cassie told me what happened,” Jake said neutrally.

“I know.”

“Are you okay?” Jake echoed his words from two days before, even though he knew the answer was never going to be “yes.”

Marco sat down heavily on his bed, feeling like a marionette whose strings could be jerked at any moment. “I’m really not okay, but I did what I had to do.”

Jake nodded and took a seat in Marco’s desk chair. “I didn’t think that mission was going to go so far south,” Jake apologized or excused himself. It didn’t matter which one.

“Dude,” Marco begged, “just tell me if you’re pissed at me, because I’m waiting for the axe to fall.”

Jake sighed. “I’m not pissed at you, I’m worried. I’m scared. I feel guilty you had to make that call.”

Marco stared at his socks and grit his teeth. “Jake. You knew that mission could go bad. You put Tobias in charge, even though you knew I was gonna be the one doing the dirty work. You can say you’re worried about me, but you distanced yourself from this one every way you could.” Marco shook his head and balled his fists. “I know I was the tool for the job and I did what had to be done, but you don’t have to be a weasel.”

Silence passed between them like a wall of ice.

Finally, Jake asked, “Do you have any ideas about how we’re going to save the peace movement?”

“Yeah,” Marco confirmed. “I have to talk to Erek and see how much they can help us, but the Chee have ways to simulate Kandrona, remember?”

“Okay,” Jake nodded. “I guess that’s a good start. I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but they’re moving on the rest of them. Tonight.”

Marco fell back on his bed and groaned loudly.

“I know,” Jake said, “I know. You can sit this one out if you want.”

“I’m not going to sit it out,” Marco muttered, staring hard at the ceiling. “I promised Tidwell and Illim we’d save the rest.”

“That’s a change.”

Marco propped himself up on an elbow to scowl at Jake. “Yeah well, the bond that forms when you brutally murder someone is really deep.” He continued, “Anyway, I’m not a monster. Tidwell knew our identities. We’ll have to risk our butts to try to save the others, but at least they can’t identify those butts. And it needs to stay that way.”

Jake snorted. “Good to have your butt on board.”

“You know you love it.”

“Hey, uh, speaking of…” Jake started and then looked like he wished he hadn’t.

“Speaking of what? Loving my butt? Is that really the segue you’re going with?”

“I wish it wasn’t. Did you talk to Ax?” Jake asked, wincing, his hand clapped on his forehead.

“You know, I’ve always said you’re my best friend,” Marco said, raising his brows and glancing sideways at Jake. “But I need to make it really clear that I hate you.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page, because I hate myself for that.” Jake dipped his chin down and looked over his nose at Marco. “But seriously. You know you’ve been distracted. Is it sorted?”

“You wouldn’t even know if Cassie hadn’t read my mind.” Marco pulled his legs up to his chest and put his forehead into his knee.

Jake rolled his eyes. “I literally just pulled you both aside to talk about it. You’re giving yourself too much credit, dork. You are not that subtle.”

Marco gave a half hearted chuckle. “Yeah, even Ax knew. Also my dad.” Jake barked out a laugh, covered his mouth, and resettled his face into its serious default. “You could say we talked.” Just in case Jake didn’t get it, Marco did finger quotes and mouthed “talk.”

Marco laughed as Jake’s face and ears went pink. He could lead the Earth front of the war, but Jake was still a fifteen-year-old boy. “Okay, yeah I get it, good for you.” Jake smiled. “So... Ax?”

“Well, Cassie took you and Rachel’s into birds. What’s a guy to do?” Jake raised an eyebrow and Marco sighed. “You really want me to talk about it?”

Jake leaned forward and steepled his fingers. “I want you to know you can talk about it if you need to. We all like Ax, but he is an alien. It’s okay to have complicated feelings.”

“Did I mention how Rachel’s dating a bird? We’re all clearly messed up. Ax and I… see a lot of things the same way. The alien thing is a big thing, but I have more in common with Ax than, say… Cassie. Not that she’s not fine. For you.”

Jake shook his head. “Well. Good talk.”

“Oh,” Marco interjected, remembering. “I -- uh, we -- this is a little weird. Ax and I were able to use thought-speak out of range yesterday. That’s how I knew he was in the Yeerk Pool. Ax says it’s an… uh, Andalite romantic perk?” Jake raised his eyebrow, intrigued. Marco continued, “But we don’t know how consistent it is or how far it reaches and it might just be because he was in danger. Ax said it ‘requires further testing.’”

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Jake agreed. “But we don’t have time right now. Wow, though. That could be really useful.”

“Yep, Ax and I continue to be the most useful members of the team.” Marco flashed a smile that had no mirth behind it.

“Okay, useful guy, how about you go talk to the Chee tonight?” Jake suggested. “I’ve already got Tobias and Rachel patrolling the peace movement members’ houses, and Ax and Cassie are going back to the place you found Tidwell to try to contact the rest of them and beef up their communications security.”

Marco scrunched up his face and closed his eyes for a long second. “So this is already underway.”

“It is. We need a place to evacuate them to and a way to keep the Yeerks alive. And ideally, a way to keep our identities secret.” Jake counted off the objectives on his fingers.

“Sounds like a job for the Chee.” Marco tried to sound confident, but he was clenching his fists so hard, his nails were biting into his palms.

~*~

Marco told his dad he was going to a friend’s to pick up some makeup work. He called ahead to Erek and let him know he was on his way, then he caught the bus across town. The Chee that played Erek’s dad welcomed him in and offered him tea, coffee, muffins -- Marco interrupted him by putting up a hand.

“I’m sorry, that all sounds great, but I’m on a mission and I need to talk strategy with someone,” Marco said. Mr. King invited him down into the dog park, but Marco declined again, as patiently as he could manage. Mr. King implored him to take a seat on the couch while he fetched Erek and Marco huffed impatiently when he left the room. Marco had a fleeting thought that maybe he should feel guilty for always imposing on the Chee, but he shrugged it off -- they had no choice. Erek and his fake dad entered in from the door that led to Dog City. 

Marco launched into the explanation for both Erek and Mr. King. “How much can you guys help?” he asked, bouncing his legs from pent up anxiety. 

Erek and Mr. King shared a look. Erek answered, “We’re all for peaceful resistance, but I don't know… We use our internal power sources to simulate Kandrona, and modifying that tech to be standalone would be really difficult with the resources we have.”

“What if Ax helped?” Marco asked.

Erek laughed abruptly, then demurely covered his mouth. “Not to be rude, but Andalites may seem advanced compared to humans, but he’d get in our way more than anything.”

Marco snorted and was glad Ax wasn’t there to be offended. “Okay, but can you help us get them evacuated and hidden until you figure out if it’s possible?”

Erek crossed his arms and frowned. “I just don’t know. It’s a huge liability to take in Yeerk refugees…”

Marco took a breath. He knew this might happen. “You know what’s really a huge liability? The Yeerks winning. You know who the only people between you and the Yeerks are?”

He let that lie between them. Erek’s mouth was a thin line. Marco didn’t want to threaten them, and he was aware of how thin the line was. The Chee were good allies and had always come through for the Animorphs. He just didn’t have time to argue.

“We can help you evacuate them,” Erek allowed. “But they can’t stay here.”

“You know, working with them could be really good for your MO,” Marco suggested.

“They can’t stay here,” Erek repeated.

“So you won’t put them up, but you’ll help us evacuate them and work on keeping them alive?” Marco clarified.

“Yes, fine.” Erek sounded more impatient than he’d ever been. 

“Okay, great.” Marco turned to Mr. King, now that he’d thoroughly taken advantage. “Can I have that muffin now?”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Erek arrive in disguise at the Yeerk peace movement safe house. The Yeerks he and Ax need to save are all misfits who just want out. They are honestly pretty easy to work with, but won't be much help in the ensuing battle.

Marco assumed seagull morph -- they had agreed on gulls instead of raptors to keep a lower profile while they knew Yeerk executioners were around. He reported back to Jake, who was circling above one of the addresses Marco had given him. Jake had seen some suspicious vehicles, but as far as he could tell, nothing had gone down yet. Marco brought him up to speed and Jake gave him his orders.

Marco flew back to the house on Emerson, relaying the information to Erek, who was somewhere below him. He was still out of normal range, but he was curious, so he called out, ‹Hey, Ax?› 

No response. Interesting.

He tried to reach out, to “push” his thought-speak further -- ‹Ax?› He still didn’t get a reply, but he thought he felt something -- confusion? Frustration? He couldn’t be sure and might have imagined it. 

Marco fluttered to rest on a trashcan in the alley he’d designated the meeting place. He pretended to be interested in the garbage around the can, which wasn’t hard, since the seagull found many things to be interested in. Erek was nowhere to be seen. ‹Where are you, Erek?› Marco asked. 

“Next to you,” came a response from thin air. Marco turned his head in the direction of Erek’s voice. The seagull’s vision wasn’t as good as the osprey’s, but it was still better than human vision. Since he knew where Erek was, he thought he could see the vague shimmer of holographic cloaking technology refracting and warping the air around it, but if he hadn’t known what to look for, he’d have had no idea. Good.

‹Okay, Frodo, can you ninja me too?› Marco saw a sheet of sparkly light scan over him and he was inside the hologram bubble with Erek’s true form -- a chrome and white doglike android. Marco reminded Erek of what he needed and fluttered onto his shoulder. He laughed internally at the thought that Erek was a robot pirate with a seagull parrot. Maybe he was kind of giddy that they were all about to be stormed by the Yeerks.

‹Hey Cassie, you’re relieved,› Marco called out. ‹Report?›

‹We’re in the basement. We’ve got six peace movement members here in addition to Kimberly,› Cassie responded.

‹Who?› Marco asked. Erek was walking them towards the Yeerk stronghold.

‹The woman who lives here,› Cassie said.

‹Oh, you mean Odret Two-Three-Nine,› Marco corrected her. He didn’t know why he felt compelled to antagonize her for humanizing their Yeerk allies. But he probably would have done it even if he wasn’t feeling uncomfortable with Cassie.

‹Well,› Cassie faltered, ‹both of them.› She continued, ‹We think there have been Yeerk patrols throughout the day. Ax and _Odret_ have been contacting the rest of the peace movement, and they’ve been spreading the word. There are three other safe houses, but contact has been limited. Ax intercepted a message an hour ago that they’re going to hit a target any second now under the guise of a police raid. We don’t know which location.›

‹Great,› Marco hissed. ‹Okay. Well. Hope it’s not here. I’ve got Erek and we’re at maximum stealth right now. How are we getting in?›

Cassie described the cellar entrance and Marco directed Erek to the back of the house. It was more bunker than basement. Good for Odret. But it wouldn’t be enough to keep the Yeerks out. The door was heavy metal and had no apparent latches. There was a digital keypad off to the side.

‹Cassie said the code was 9462381,› Marco said to Erek, who punched the code with his robot fingers. Then he pushed solidly in the upper left corner, as Cassie had described.

The door made a hissing sound, like a pneumatic mechanism was being released, and slid open heavily, revealing a wolf on the other side. The wolf cocked her head and looked around.

‹Where are you?› Cassie asked.

‹I told you, maximum stealth,› Marco said, pleased with himself and Erek. Erek extended the cloak to include Cassie.

‹Whoa,› she marveled.

‹Go ahead and demorph while you’re invisible,› Marco advised. ‹Jake is waiting for you over the Castillo Street hideout.›

Cassie complied, quickly regaining her upright stance, but keeping her wolf face and fur until the end so she looked like a werewolf. She paused momentarily when she was fully human and gave Marco, who was still a seagull, a serious look. She looked sad, tired, and more closed off than was usual for Cassie. “Do you know what you’re doing?” she whispered.

‹Barely,› Marco admitted. ‹But what’s new? At least you don’t have to watch this time.›

She looked away, making a face like she just heard one of her animal patients couldn’t be saved. She put her lips together in a tight line and gave a sort of nod and half shrug. She morphed to seagull herself, willing the morph from toe to head and shrinking rapidly, so at the midpoint she looked like a grotesque, lightly feathered toddler with chicken legs. Marco looked away, momentarily disgusted. When the morph was complete, Cassie flew into the nearest tree. They knew the house was under surveillance, and if she was spotted, the Yeerks would likely take her out. Marco watched with more than a little tension as she flew out of the tree and took off towards Castillo Street. 

He sighed internally, relieved that she was okay, but also with mounting dread. It wasn’t going to be this easy. It couldn’t be this easy. 

Erek closed the pneumatic mechanism behind them and tested it. He dented the door a little with his Chee strength, but the hinges didn’t budge. “Good door,” Erek whispered.

‹I am entering,› Marco called out in open thought-speak in his best approximation of Andalite tone. 

‹You sound like a locally broadcast production of one of your Shakespeare plays,› Ax teased him privately. 

‹Do the thing,› Marco commanded Erek. Erek projected a hologram that wrapped around them both. It was hard to see the form from the inside, but Marco hoped they were both ensconced in a convincing Andalite hologram. ‹Okay, go.› 

Marco and Erek moved forward through the bunker -- the halls were narrow and concrete and it was lit by bare bulbs that punctuated the hall every thirty feet or so. It was basically a maze with several choke points, and Marco worried he was lost until they got to another heavy duty door.

‹Open sesame,› Marco said to Ax. He heard some mechanical sounds on the other side of the door and it slid open. Ax jerked, his main eyes went wide, his stalk eyes swiveled, and he inhaled sharply through his nose slits. Marco was hit by a tidal wave of shock and confusion. ‹It’s me and Erek,› Marco explained privately.

Ax was frozen, staring with all four eyes, not breathing. The shock and confusion ebbed back to a swirl of more subtle feelings that Marco couldn’t put his finger on.

‹Ax. It’s a hologram,› Marco said, wishing he could wave a hand in front of his face. He hadn’t anticipated this reaction. He couldn’t help hoping Erek had made them a handsome Andalite.

‹You didn’t tell me you were doing this,› Ax said.

‹I’m flying by the seat of my pants. Stop blocking the door.› Normally Marco would have just shoved past him, but there was no way to get Erek to do what Marco wanted. He was the voice, but Erek was at the helm, and he felt an uncomfortable loss of control, sort of like how he felt when Cassie was in his brain, but definitely less creepy and invasive.

Ax finally regained composure, backed up enough to let them in, and closed the door behind them, re-initiating lockdown mode. He was still staring with all four eyes. Marco willed himself to look away from Ax and at the seven Controllers scattered around the main room of the bunker. They all looked tired, scared, and uneasy to have two Andalites in their presence. 

Odret Two-Three-Nine glanced at them from her place at a laptop computer but quickly went back to typing furiously. She looked like a hardcore computer geek, like someone Marco’s dad would work with. He hoped she wasn’t one of his coworkers. Marco recognized the backlit keyboard as a recent custom build and wondered if Odret, the Yeerk, was into PC gaming. Her hair was gathered in a messy bun high on her head and the shadows under her eyes were so heavy behind her thick glasses, they looked like bruises. 

‹How much longer does everyone have have before you need Kandrona?› Marco asked.

There was an unwilling murmur around the room. Odret told them to answer in a voice that was quiet but authoritative. Only one of them had three days left and he had almost been detained at the Pool. Four of them had two days. Odret and another had one day left.

‹We have a Kandrona simulator prototype,› Marco said. It was only a half-lie. ‹We are still working on issues with the power supply. And obviously it’s untested.› That was a lie, since Erek had a Yeerk captive in his chassis at that very moment, and had for at least two years. For a race incapable of violence, the Chee did some questionable stuff.

“Why should we trust you?” the other Controller who only had one day left asked, his voice cracking.

‹You don’t have any other option,› Marco replied coldly.

“Why are you helping us?”

‹As humans say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.› Marco honestly felt like it was hard to justify. If Cassie was there, she would have said something like, “We need you as an example to show the other Yeerks that peace is an option,” but Marco couldn’t force his mind to make those words. He was reluctant to give the Yeerks Chee technology. He was scared one or more of them would use it as a bargaining chip and angle for a promotion. He’d never seen rank hungry bureaucrats as bad as the Yeerks. 

A few of them rolled their eyes. “Conniving Andalites,” one murmured. Ax shifted and his shoulders tensed.

Marco decided to tell the truth, ‹I promised Illim I would help you.›

Odret turned, her body was slack like a ragdoll, but her tired eyes were piercing behind her glasses. She said in a small voice that was barely more than a whisper, “Are you the one who killed him?”

‹Yes.›

“Illim sacrificed his life to help you, in exchange for your help to save us?”

‹Yes.›

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She said to her comrades in the same quiet voice, “We have to trust that these Andalites are following their honor code. There’s no other option.” There were more grumbles, but the six other Controllers seemed to settle.

‹We do have a problem,› Marco said. ‹We may have a solution for your Kandrona problem, but we don’t have anywhere for you to stay.›

One of the Controllers, a handsome alpha male-type, spoke up, “My host is an investment banker. He’s also a criminal with offshore accounts under several false identities.” 

“Way to lie low, Tamlin,” one of the other Controllers scoffed.

“He was like that when I got him,” Tamlin protested. “I couldn’t exactly turn him around into an upright citizen.” Tamlin looked up and to the side for a moment like he was listening, then he smiled and said, “Scott wants me to make you aware of his many other virtues, but I know him better than anyone and I don’t know what he’s talking about. Sorry, Scott. Anyway, Scott has human connections who can falsify our identities, and he owns property upstate. I believe it’ll be difficult to track. Then when I can funnel some money in, Odret can work on tricking it out like this place.”

“She was also like this when I got her,” Odret remarked. “Personal safety is Kimberly’s hobby, and this… lair was already half built when I infested her. So she’ll be the one working on that if we get out of here. I always said it was a money blackhole. She’s saying ‘I told you so’ more than I’d like.” Marco thought an underground labyrinth went a little beyond an interest in personal safety. “Kimberly used to be a paranoid mess. She stabilized a lot when I took over and she found out most of her anxieties were real.”

‹Funny how validation does that,› Marco remarked.

“Yes, funny. Are you an Andalite with a sense of irony? Most of you are so obtuse.” Odret went back to typing. 

The hair on Ax’s back rose in annoyance. ‹I have been helping you all day,› Ax said flatly. ‹I should think if I was so obtuse, you would have told me to stop bothering you.›

“See?” Odret jerked her thumb over her shoulder at Ax.

‹So are all of your hosts…› Marco tried to put it delicately, ‹damaged?›

“My host is a Ph.D. student who thinks aliens are mad fresh,” said a younger Controller who was sitting on the kitchenette counter -- the only one with three days left. “He wasn’t a willing host at first, but he thinks this could be the next stage of human evolution, as long as we stay cool with each other. And I didn’t want to do all the work on his thesis.”

There was a soft chuckle around the room. “It’s so much easier to just let them do their boring human jobs,” the distrustful Controller agreed.

“I like my job,” a short-haired woman remarked.

“You suck at illustrating children’s books, Nefliss,” said the Ph.D. student. 

“Disturbing illustrations are in right now.” She shrugged and tilted her head like she couldn’t be bothered.

“Nefliss and Maria are a good team. Her agent thinks she’s so versatile,” said the Controller next to the illustrator. They were sitting close together and Marco noticed their pinky fingers were intertwined. He wondered if _they_ were like that when their Yeerks got _them_. Then he wondered if willing hosts and their Yeerks constituted a four-way relationship. Good thing he was a bird riding a robot inside a hologram, because _that_ was bizarre and he couldn’t have hid his reaction.

‹How many of you are there?› Marco asked.

The room went quiet and they glanced around at each other before again looking to Odret. Even outside the structure of the Empire, Yeerks were obsessed with rank and Odret seemed to be the highest rank. She answered, “Forty-eight -- no, sorry, forty-six. Illim and Maurice are gone. Obviously. We may be down to forty -- no one’s heard from Michael, Andrea, or Luis.”

The distrustful Controller with the boring human job swore. Marco was surprised that they seemed to count the humans as separate from their Yeerks among their numbers. 

‹We were only able to compile a list of fifteen Yeerks and their hosts from the information we intercepted, and some of those may have been false positives.› Marco surprised himself by attempting to reassure them. 

“If they have any of us, they’ll eventually have all of us, and in two days we’ll all be starved except Derash. Homeworld knows Derash and Alex are screwed alone. Lucky you, having an extra day,” said Distrustful.

“Thanks,” sneered the Ph.D. student’s Yeerk, who must have been Derash.

“Um, Helpful Andalite, come here,” Odret beckoned Ax.

‹I think I am too obtuse to cross the room, I don’t know if I can make it,› Ax thought-spoke dryly. Marco was so proud.

“Vanarx consume me, how did we get the amusing Andalites? This is not a joke, come look.”

Ax walked over and bent over Odret’s shoulder. ‹Yes, that is my tripwire code. It appears my encryption is cracked. We’re being traced.›

Odret said the word Marco was thinking. She started typing furiously and Ax started tinkering with an attachment he had plugged into her modem. It was already too late -- an alarm started screaming and a sharp light began flashing in the corner. Odret turned to it, still and pale.

‹What does that mean?› Marco asked.

“They’re in our house,” Odret murmured between sirens.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Odret Two-Three-Nine's bunker is assaulted and Marco and Ax must defend the Yeerk peace movement members inside and somehow get them to their new safe house.

Everyone was on their feet except Odret. “Are we safe down here?” yelled Nefliss, her girlfriends’ hand grasped tightly. 

“We’re not safe anywhere!” wailed the single Controller who had been quiet the whole time. 

‹I’m going to demorph; make sure the hologram is up around me,› Marco said to Erek as he fluttered to the ground. Everyone was panicked, no one was paying attention to him. He could do this. ‹I’m going gorilla. Do your best to make the hologram cover me, then go invisible. If I don’t get to say it, thanks for everything.› 

Marco finished morphing and Erek disappeared. No one seemed to notice if there had been no transitional phase between the Andalite and the gorilla. 

“We’re gonna die. We’re gonna die. Why did we do this?” Distrustful had his face in his hands. 

He couldn’t hear the Controllers over the alarms, but he assumed they were telling each other goodbye because they started exchanging hugs and a couple were crying. Marco found it intensely weird that they were apparently friends, but he also knew the feeling. How often had he said goodbye to Jake like it was the last time?

Marco looked over at Ax, who was also watching the peace movement members intently, but he could see one of his stalk eyes was swiveled to face Marco.

‹Listen everyone,› Marco said, trying to sound authoritative. ‹We’re going to stay down here until they get in. Then we’re going to fight our way out. Our allies should have a vehicle parked outside. We have cloaking technology. If we can get you to the van, we can get away. I’m going to do everything I can to help. Just try to stay calm.›

Odret had packed her computer into a messenger bag that she swung heavily over her shoulder and pulled a dracon beam out from under her desk. She fiddled with some knobs on the side, then handed it to Nefliss, who took it with the hand that wasn’t holding onto her partners’ for dear life. Nefliss was taking deep breaths through her nose and exhaling through her mouth.

It was impossible to know what was going on above ground. The concrete labyrinth would have dulled any possible sounds, if they could hear anything over the siren. They could only wait for the wolves at their door.

Without warning, the siren dulled to silence and the electricity hummed off. It was completely black. Marco could hear only quickened breaths and “oh god oh god oh god” somewhere in the dark. With a whir, some dim emergency lighting came on in the corners of the room, not bright enough to see well, but at least it wasn’t pitch black.

“The generator,” Odret explained, opening a panel on the wall. “They’ve cut the power. They’ll still have to break through the doors, but…” She was losing focus. Marco wondered if her host was panicking. “We can’t wait for them to storm us. The halls are going to be dark, so we’ll have an advantage if we hide. Here’s the path…”

She talked everyone through it. Most of them were crying. Every hand Marco could see was trembling. They held each other. These Yeerks weren’t soldiers; they were just living normal lives, trying to stay out of the war. They joined the peace movement because they were weak; they couldn’t handle subjugating their hosts. This wasn’t a resistance, it was a support group. They weren’t ready for this. Marco wasn’t ready to see the Yeerks this way.

Odret crossed the room to the heavy metal door. “Gorilla Andalite,” she beckoned him and he lumbered over to her. “Without electricity, we’re going to have to force this. Kimberly thinks it weighs, like, a ton, so I hope you’re strong.”

She knelt at the base of the door and engaged a manual lever -- she had to use both hands and her whole body as leverage. She indicated a series of handles probably meant for ten people to push at once. Marco grasped two handles in both of his gorilla hands and strained against the door. Great. They were trapped. He tried again and this time felt an invisible someone brush up next to him. Erek shoved him aside a bit and the door started to move under Marco’s hands. He at least mimed pushing for Odret’s sake. 

“That’s good,” Odret said when the door was open far enough for Marco to squeeze himself out. She walked back to the panel on the wall. “Okay, everyone, to the left -- I’m cutting the lights.”

“Oh god,” responded one of them as they all filed out the door. Marco took the head of the pack and Ax took up the rear. Nefliss was right behind Marco with her Dracon beam. 

Odret turned off the generator and the dim light that filtered in from the main room of the bunker was gone. Marco’s gorilla eyes, about the same as human eyes, were no help in pitch blackness. Even his gorilla heart was racing; surprisingly, his animal instincts were not comfortable being blind and claustrophobic. He braced one leathery hand on the wall and started walking to the left, having to compensate by balancing more on the knuckles of his other hand. He had no stimuli except the cold wall under his hand and the hushed gasps of the controllers behind him trying to stifle their heavy breathing. 

_Right, right, left, right…_ he repeated in his head, trying to keep Odret’s directions straight. He led the Controllers to an open point at the other end of the maze that had a choke off point Odret said they could defend. 

‹Ax, are they all in the hiding place?› Marco asked. ‹I can’t see.›

‹I believe so,› Ax answered. Marco jumped when he felt a light touch on his back. ‹Ah, there you are. Yes, they are all in the ‘panic zone.’ What an alarming name.›

‹Well it’s kind of an alarming situation,› Marco said. 

‹Is this an inappropriate time to mention enclosed spaces make me uneasy?› Ax asked.

‹It’s never wrong to feel more terrified,› Marco said. They kept moving and Ax continued lightly resting a hand on Marco’s furred back. It was reassuring to know he was there.

They continued to walk in the dark. As they got closer to the exit, Marco heard something. He stopped and listened. A dull knock? A hiss? Silence, and then the same sounds. Marco felt an eerie dread pass over him, and Ax’s hand moved to Marco’s shoulder. 

‹That is what it sounds like when Dracon beams hit the hull of a ship,› Ax explained, his voice hushed inside Marco's head. 

Marco squinted up at the source of the sound, keeping his distance, hoping to stay hidden. The heavy metal hatch reverberated and the sound rang through the concrete tunnels, bouncing off the walls. It took a while, and Marco’s anxiety mounted with each passing minute. A red glow pierced the blackness and grew in diameter. Marco’s muscles coiled, readying for battle. 

The Dracon beam pierced the metal door and hit the concrete floor underneath. Everything sizzled and crackled, and Marco averted his eyes from the blinding light. He looked up at Ax instead -- his emerald eyes glowed red, reflecting the Dracon beam, and his tail was arched up over his shoulder, poised to strike. He looked dangerous and beautiful. They were far enough back in the tunnel that they were still hidden by the darkness when humans in S.W.A.T. uniforms started dropping through the hole they had melted in the hatch. Marco counted ten humans before he edged Ax back around another corner to keep out of the mounted lights on their guns. 

Marco heard them chatter amongst each other, surprised at the extent of the bunker, not sure which way to proceed. Boots shuffled closer to Marco and Ax’s hiding spot. Marco saw a rifle peek around the corner and instantly snatched the gun out of the man’s hand. He only had a second to shout before Marco grabbed the arm he’d pulled forward and hauled him headfirst into the wall. The Controller crumpled and didn’t move. 

“Andalites!” one of the others yelled, and they were lost in a flurry of action. The echo of bullets off the concrete made Marco’s ears ring. By the choppy light of flashlights and gun lights and the momentary flashes of Dracon beam, they systematically took out the Yeerk S.W.A.T. team as they poured through the narrow passage, one and two and a time. Marco caught flashes of Ax’s tail blade in the narrow beams of light, punctuated by the screams of men suddenly separated from their hands. Marco focused mostly on head trauma, trying to avoid lethal force, but he knew bashing a person’s head, even in a riot helmet, into a concrete wall was likely to do more than knock them out. 

Even though so far Marco and Ax were able to handle them as if they were lining up for slaughter, the onslaught of troops was pushing them back along the maze. They still weren’t near the peace movement’s hiding spot, but they were losing ground, falling back deeper into the dark corridors. Marco hoped Ax had the presence of mind to keep tabs on where they were, because after two turns, Marco had no idea. Marco was vaguely aware that he’d been hit several times -- at least he thought it was probably his own blood pooling stickily at his feet -- but the surge of danger and adrenaline kept him numb, kept him fighting. After feeling sick and powerless and violated, he could understand why Rachel thrived on this feeling. It was so much more simple. 

A burst of red heat collided with his left side and Marco’s gorilla morph roared involuntarily -- the smell of sizzling hair and flesh filled the hall. Another glint of tail blade and the dracon beam that hit him clattered to the ground, still clutched in the now disarmed Controller’s hand. Marco reached up to touch his shoulder and his hand fell through the space where it should have been. His left arm was still attached, but it hung dead at his side, a useless weight.

‹Are you okay?› Ax asked, still strafing back and thrusting forward to strike, guns clattering to the floor around them along with their screaming human owners.

Marco bared his gorilla teeth and lunged forward, grabbing two Controllers with his one functioning arm, and swung them 180 degrees into the wall behind him. ‹I’m fine,› he growled. At least the Dracon beam had instantly cauterized his massive shoulder wound and he was only losing blood from the traditional bullet wounds. 

Three Controllers with riot shields rushed forward on Marco. He was off balance with his dead arm and they pushed him back further into the maze. They pressed his back up to a dead end and he let loose an angry roar, yanking the riot shield away from the one furthest to the right and using it to push him away. He pounded his gorilla fist into the side of the center Controller’s head and he went down. Marco couldn’t see anything except the narrow swinging beams of tiny flashlights, so he had no way to prepare when the leftmost Controller emptied a round into his belly. He fell back against the wall with a groan and immediately could barely breathe. Marco gasped raggedly, and the light beam in front of him lost focus. He could see by the wavering beam of the mounted flashlight that the controller was lining up another shot. The lamp shone in his face. He swung his good arm, but he was slow and groggy now. 

_FWAP, FWAP_. The rifle clattered to the floor and the Controller holding it fell in a heap. Marco didn’t see where Ax had hit him, but he was very still on the ground in front of him. ‹You are not fine,› Ax said, picking up the rifle to examine Marco with the flashlight. 

‹Ha. Andalite with a gun. Do you have a permit for that, warrior-cadet Rambo?› Marco said deliriously. He sank down wetly in the growing puddle of his own blood. He could only sip in shallow gasps of air -- maybe a punctured lung? He put his hand up to feel the injuries in his abdomen. At least his guts were on the inside. He’d been through worse. His head lolled onto his shoulder. All he needed was a nap.

‹Marco. Demorph,› Ax demanded. ‹I do not know if there are any more, but if there are, they took a different route. You are clear for now. _Demorph_.›

‹I like it when you get all commanding.› Marco wasn’t sure if that bleary remark even came out as thought-speech. He was far away.

‹ _Marco_.› Ax sounded desperate, and a twist of fear and worry shook Marco out of his haze enough for him to focus. 

He came back slowly, but soon Marco was himself, coughing blood and clearing his intact lungs. He groaned, wiping his face on the back of his arm, “That _sucked_.”

‹It did,› Ax agreed. ‹We need to evacuate the peace movement members. And I want to get out of here. When you are ready.›

Marco took a deep breath and stood, stomach turning at the squelch of blood between his bare toes. It was better he couldn’t see. He started morphing again, this time to Hork-Bajir. He wanted more mobility for the evacuation.

Marco finished morphing and picked up one of the Dracon beams Ax had severed from one of their attackers, shaking off the hand that still gripped the handle. It felt comfortable in his Hork-Bajir hand; his finger rested on the trigger with no extra effort. ‹Lead the way,› he beckoned Ax. 

Ax put the rifle and its flashlight down. They needed the cover of darkness to be able to sneak up on any remaining S.W.A.T. Controllers. Marco still couldn’t see anything as a Hork-Bajir, but the smell of blood was much stronger. One good thing about gorillas and humans in combat situations -- their senses of smell weren’t worth much. At least his hearing was sharp, and he followed the click of Ax’s hooves on the concrete as they moved out of the dead end path. After another turn in the pitch blackness though, Marco complained, ‹I can’t see anything and it’s hard to just follow the sound of your hooves.›

He felt Ax’s soft touch on his arm again, and his fingers carefully trailed down Marco’s sinewy, bladed arm until he found Marco’s clawed hand. Ax wrapped his fingers around Marco’s and led him down the path. Marco felt both childish to be led by the hand and stupidly disappointed that the first time Ax held his hand, he was a Hork-Bajir in a death maze. But he couldn’t help feeling comforted by Ax’s small, delicate grip, even if it was utilitarian. 

Marco’s acute hearing didn’t pick up the sounds of any more members of the ambush, but that didn’t mean they weren’t somewhere deeper in the cement labyrinth. Ax led them back to the entrance, where moonlight filtered in through the round hole in the center of the door. 

‹I will stay here and stand guard. You go get the Yeerks,› Ax stated. 

Even though they stood in the ring of light under the hole in the hatch, Ax was still holding Marco’s hand. Marco looked down at it, reluctant to break away, and Ax gave a little squeeze. Oh, he was smooth. Marco pulled away and turned back toward the path to the hiding place. Ax repeated the directions for him and he followed the walls with his claw until Ax said they should be there. 

‹Odret?› Marco called into the darkness. ‹It’s me, the gorilla. But I’m actually a Hork-Bajir now. I think we’re clear for now. Are you all safe?›

“We are,” answered Odret’s disembodied voice. “That sounded like quite the scuffle.”

‹That’s an understatement,› Marco said. ‹Move your people out, we don’t know how long we’ll have before round two.›

“You heard the Andalite,” Odret ordered in her quiet but forceful manner.

Odret led them all back to the exit, where Ax was waiting. Odret saw the weapons on the ground and picked up two more Dracon beams to pass out to her allies. No one commented on the trail of unconscious bodies that led off into the darkness in the other direction. 

Marco went up the stairs first -- his Hork-Bajir body was built for climbing, so maneuvering out through the burnt-out hole was no issue. He looked around. There was no sign of immediate danger in Odret’s back yard, at least. He helped Odret and the six other controllers out of the hatch. Ax would have had a tougher time making it out through the hole, but he had morphed seagull while the Controllers were climbing out. 

Ax took wing and flitted to the nearest tree for cover. ‹There is a police van in the front of the house, but I see no remaining Controllers. There may be some in the house, though. I recommend you leave as soon as possible.›

That was a good idea in theory, but Marco wasn’t sure if his Chee-assisted escape plan was still on. ‹Erek?› he called privately. He’d lost track of Erek during the fight, but he assumed he’d escaped as soon as he had a clear path.

From around the corner of the house, a chocolate labrador came bounding toward him. ‹Erek?› The dog whined in response. ‹Do we have a ride?› The dog took a playful stance and wagged his tail, then raced off out the back gate.

‹Okay, follow that dog,› Marco ordered the Yeerks.

Ax, still in the tree, said, ‹I am going to report to Prince Jake.› He flew away. 

Marco led the Yeerks out Odret’s backyard, through an alley, and onto a disused street. He didn’t see anything parked, but Erek the Lab ran to the curb and jumped up, vanishing head first. The Yeerks made surprised sounds, but followed. The Ph.D. student Controller was the first to try getting into the invisible van -- he ran into the side of it, then he tripped trying to step up.

“God, you are hopeless,” said Distrustful, who pushed past Ph.D. into the van, then held his hand out to help them up. They each disappeared into the invisible van; luckily it wasn’t like Wonder Woman’s invisible jet. Marco followed, carefully clambering his bladed Hork-Bajir body up to the passenger seat. On the inside of the van, they were able to see the vehicle’s interior, as well as the driver, a human man Marco didn’t recognize. He assumed it was Mr. King with an unfamiliar hologram disguise. He didn’t see Erek, but he assumed he was in the van somewhere, powering one of the nested holograms keeping Mr. King disguised while inside the van cloak. He owed the Chee about a billion puppies for this. At the very least he could let up on them for being useless for a while.

The van seated fourteen, so the seven Controllers had plenty of space. They all looked uncomfortable, terrified, and exhausted as they spread out and rested their heads on the seats or each other. The person who was probably a Chee who was probably Mr. King drove off in the direction of the Castillo Street safehouse, in case there were more peace movement members that could be evacuated. It was late enough there wasn’t much traffic, thankfully, since an invisible van wasn’t exactly the most roadsafe ride.

‹Jake? Ax?› Marco called out as they approached. ‹Are there any more?›

It was a while before anyone answered, but eventually it was Cassie who did. ‹No. There aren’t any more.› 

Marco sat heavily back into the seat and his elbow blade tore the upholstery. He told Mr. King to get on the 101 heading North.

Marco rode with the Chee and the last remaining members of the peace movement for an hour and a half before he asked the driver to pull over so he could demorph. Mr. King took a side road into the mountains and Marco got out. The van was no longer invisible and Marco could see it said “The Sharing” on the side. He allowed himself a half chuckle for the irony. It came out of his Hork-Bajir throat an awkward rasping squawk. 

While he demorphed away from the road, hidden in a copse of trees, Erek decloaked beside him, throwing up his usual boy hologram. Out of instinct, Marco swung his still-bladed arm at Erek before he saw who he was. Erek caught and held his arm like Marco was a small child. 

“Sorry,” Marco said, his voice rumbling as the morph finished up. Back to normal, he ran his hands up and down his body which was covered by his tight compression shirt. He appreciated it so much more after each near death experience.

“That wasn’t the _most successful_ rescue mission,” Erek remarked.

Marco scoffed, “For us, that was pretty damn successful. Do you know anything about the Kandrona issue?” 

“I’ve been with you this whole time,” Erek said, making a face that said “are you serious?”

“I don’t know how good you are at multitasking.” Marco shrugged.

“I think I can remove the Kandrona particle generator from my chassis and adapt it to use a standard power supply. But I’ll need supplies and tools. And I don’t know how long it’ll take.”

“Well, the drive is five more hours. Take my place and talk to Odret. She seems pretty good with technology and brought her computer with her. She might let you scrap it if it’s life and death,” Marco joked.

“Okay,” Erek said, sounding tired, even though it was impossible for him to be tired. Erek shifted his hologram into a person Marco had never seen before, so he could interact with the Yeerks and not be recognized.

“Are you guys good? You feel like you can handle them?” Marco asked.

“Sure. I mean, they’re armed and we can’t fight them if they decide to revolt, but sure.”

“I think they’re tired of revolting,” Marco said. “Call me in the morning.”

“Got it.”

Erek turned back to the van and Marco morphed osprey for the long flight back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all the action I have left. Settle in for snuggles and dad jokes for the rest of the way. You may now lower your tray tables because the turbulence has passed. Thanks betas, this time with a special shout out to [Kelbrid](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelbrid/pseuds/Kelbrid)! Thanks for canon-proofing this chapter and most of the rest of the fic. It's very much appreciated!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco is grounded but nothing can keep an Animorph contained or make Marco go to school. He goes to hang out with Ax instead, because of course he does.

Marco got back to his house a little after midnight and slowly unlocked the door with the spare key they kept inside the outdoor light fixture. He closed the door behind him as quietly as possible. The lights in his living room were off, except for one lamp, and next to it, his dad was sleeping on the couch, half propped up on the armrest. He’d fallen asleep waiting up for him. Great. Marco was in trouble. 

Marco sneaked past his dad and into his bedroom. He peeled off his morphing outfit, debated taking a shower and decided he couldn’t avoid it. He’d just have to wake his dad and have the confrontation. He grabbed another morphing outfit, PJs, and the towel that was hanging over his desk chair and made it sneakily to the bathroom.

Marco let himself look in the mirror for the first time in several days. He was still Marco, although he was the cold Marco with dead eyes who was too tired to be a comedian. He could admit that he was looking less cute than usual -- his eyes were puffy and tired and he had a pinched look that could definitely still pass for sick. He gave himself a shrug and a sigh and turned the water on. There was no blood in the water this time, thankfully; he’d morphed it all away. He was able to wash, towel off, and get dressed without once feeling like he was going to hurl. Amazing how probable murder was so much easier when it was anonymous, even when it was like twenty people. 

He brushed his teeth, flossed, moisturized, and put product in his hair. He rubbed the dark circles under his eyes and patted his own cheeks. He had to leave the bathroom eventually. 

As soon as he opened the door, he heard Peter’s voice from the living room: “Marco.”

He sighed and peeked out of the hallway. His dad was not scarier than a pitch-black maze full of armed Controllers, but Marco’s heart rate increased all the same.

“Come sit,” Peter requested. Marco sat across from his dad, hugging a couch cushion to his chest. His dad had that look on his face. He was very disappointed. “I’m very disappointed,” Peter said.

“I know,” Marco mumbled into the pillow, looking over toward the TV, which was off.

“You know all I ask is that you call,” Peter scolded. “It’s a school night and you’re obviously still sick. What were you thinking?”

“I guess I wasn’t,” Marco said, shrugging noncommittally.

“Where were you? I called Jake’s parents and he wasn’t home either. They said he was supposed to be _here_.” 

“We sneaked into the new Schwarzenegger movie,” Marco lied.

“How was it?” Peter asked.

“Terrible,” Marco guessed.

“Why do I not believe you?” Peter asked.

Marco looked up and frowned. “I guess because I’ve violated your trust?”

“Good answer, but I was going to say because you like all Arnold movies, regardless of quality.” Marco rolled his eyes. Peter continued, “You know, a lot of parents would say I’m too lenient with you, but we’ve been through a lot together and I hope we’ve earned each other’s respect.”

Marco buried his face in the cushion. His dad was a guilt trip professional. Marco knew where he got his manipulative side. “I do respect you, Dad,” Marco muttered.

Peter leaned down and peered at Marco’s face more closely. “You know, it’s hard to lecture you when you look like death warmed over. Do you need to go to the doctor?”

“No, I’m feeling better,” Marco said. He wasn’t going to angle for another day home if his dad was going to make him go to the doctor.

“Good. So since we respect each other, and you’re on the mend, I’m not going to keep you up any later.” Marco stood and his dad touched his arm to stop him. “You’re grounded, by the way. And don’t think I don’t know you’re not supposed to sleep in that body shirt; it’s not good for you.”

Marco crossed his arms, self conscious. “How long am I grounded for?”

“Hmm, we’ll discuss that later. Go to bed,” Peter ordered.

~*~

The next morning, Marco rolled miserably out of bed an hour earlier than usual for school. He made coffee and toast and waited next to the phone for Erek to call.

His dad came into the kitchen, saw the coffee, saw Marco awake before 7:00, and called to Nora, “My son’s been body-snatched again!” 

Marco rolled his eyes and sluggishly sipped his own coffee. His dad puttered around the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets. “You want breakfast?” he asked Marco.

“Nah, got toast.” He crunched it demonstratively. The phone rang and Marco took the cordless into his room. He took another swig of coffee before answering, “Hello?”

“It’s Erek. I made some headway on that science project. My partner suggested we use a hotplate as the housing and dispersion method. Ingenious. So that’s mostly done and she’s going to test it out today because it’s due anyway.”

“Yeah, that late penalty is pretty harsh,” Marco said. “How is it upstate?”

“It’s remote. Seems secure. Everyone’s shaken, but they’ll be okay if things work as they should.” The line was silent for a minute and Erek continued under his breath, “They’re out. They don’t want to work with you, they don’t want to be contacted. They’re done.”

“That seems ideal,” Marco whispered. 

“Your friend said thanks.”

With nothing more to say, Marco thanked Erek and finished getting ready. 

He left “for school” while his dad and Nora were still in the bedroom -- he wanted to be sure they didn’t see he wasn’t taking his backpack. He walked his usual path for about ten minutes, then ducked into a small shopping center where nothing was open yet. He slid between a hedge and the parking lot wall, stashed his clothes under the bush, and morphed osprey.

He wished the cool morning air gave him more lift, but as it was, he had to work hard to power his body skyward. Still, without a mission hanging over him, he flew like a bird released from a cage. He soared as high above town as he could without exhausting himself, then glided smoothly to the forest behind Cassie’s farm to circle Ax and Tobias’ territory. He tried to look into Ax’s scoop, but couldn’t see anything, so he landed in a tree across from it to get a better look.

The next tree over, a familiar red-tailed hawk flared his wings and puffed his feathers threateningly. Then he cocked his head, relaxed his wings, and said, ‹Sorry. I was sleeping in. Marco or Cassie?›

‹Marco.›

‹Thought so,› Tobias said, grooming his chest feathers back down. ‹Ax isn’t here. He’s doing his morning ritual out in the field over that way.› Tobias pointed his head.

‹Thanks.› Marco spread his wings to take off and find him.

‹Hey.› Tobias stopped him. ‹You and Ax.›

‹Yeah,› Marco said, wary. ‹What about it?›

‹You know he doesn’t really talk about his feelings much, but he’s obviously isolated on Earth.› Tobias paused, thoughtful. ‹I’m his best friend, but I’m not enough, you know? I’m not a real family. Whatever that is. Sorry, I don’t know what I’m trying to say. He just… seems less lonely.›

‹You don’t want _me_ to talk about my feelings, do you?› Marco deflected.

‹You’re still a jerk.› Tobias added, ‹And kind of a maniac.›

‹Okay good, thanks. You should consider charging for your services. Tobias, Bird Psychologist.› Marco unfurled his wings again.

‹I’m glad you’re making him happy,› Tobias blurted. ‹And thanks for saving him. I don’t know what I would do if my call got him killed.›

‹Yeah. Thanks for the support,› Marco said, almost sincere. ‹I’m sure we’ll get better at this talking thing.›

‹I hope so,› Tobias said, his tone lightening. ‹Also, I’m no expert, but maybe you should take him on a date that doesn’t include your dad sometime?›

‹Hah _hah_ , I’m leaving now.› Marco flapped and pushed off toward the field Tobias had indicated. 

It wasn’t hard to find Ax in the clearing. He stood on the east side of the field near a stream. He was even more graceful and otherworldly than usual, his blue and tan fur illuminated in brilliant splashes of pinks and oranges. He spread his arms slowly and appeared to have all four eyes trained on the rising sun. Marco landed on a tree at the edge of the clearing, keeping what he hoped was a respectful distance. He felt a pang of guilt, like he was invading something private, but he was also fascinated and entranced. He watched Ax bring his tail blade to his own throat solemnly. Then Ax relaxed and it seemed the ritual was over. He stepped back from the stream and turned around. 

‹Marco?› Ax said before he spotted him.

‹How’d you know I was here?› Marco asked, fluttering down to demorph as Ax trotted over.

‹Have you not noticed?› Ax explained, ‹I have been increasingly able to feel your acute emotions since the Yeerk Pool.›

“Oh,” Marco said when he was fully human. That explained a lot. He crossed his arms and glowered up at Ax, who had sidled up to him. “Me too, but I just thought I was freaking out on all these missions lately. That’s so weird, Ax. Your people are really weird.”

‹I am surprised you think that, because I don’t usually feel attraction when I do my morning ritual.› Ax crossed his arms as well, mimicking Marco.

Heat spread up from Marco’s neck to his ears. “See? That’s _weird_. I don’t even know when I’m feeling things, why do you get to?”

‹Is it my fault if you are not perceptive?› Marco sulked. Ax dipped his head to one side and smiled at Marco with his eyes. ‹I am intrigued that you are attracted to me when I am not human.›

“Yeah, me too,” Marco said, returning Ax’s smile, but only halfway. “It’s pretty freaky.”

‹Yes,› Ax agreed. ‹It is disconcerting to be interested in an alien this way. It has taken this long for me to even trust humans. You, in particular.›

“Back atcha, except I know not to trust Andalites. _Except_ you, in particular.” Marco looked down at his bare feet. The grass was wet with dew and it was a chilly morning, only just a bit after 7:30. He should have been cold. “So, am I the weird one, or are you into me when you’re not in human morph?”

Ax tilted his head and turned all but one wary stalk eye on Marco. ‹Many things are more interesting when I am a human.› Marco frowned and heat drained out of him. They continued walking for several minutes, Marco stewing in awkwardness, before Ax continued, ‹Last night, when Erek projected an Andalite hologram and you spoke from inside it, I was angry with you.›

“What, really?” Marco asked.

‹You can’t morph an Andalite unless you morph me,› Ax explained.

“Ugh,” Marco said, grimacing.

‹I agree.› Ax let up on staring Marco down, leaving only one stalk eye on him to look out over the field. ‹I would rather not have seen you that way at all.›

“Sorry. I guess I didn’t think. I wish we _could_ do Andalite stuff together. It’s not fair we always have to do human stuff.” Marco brushed his fingers through his own hair, feeling awkward. He shivered and rubbed the goosebumps that raised on his forearms. 

‹Really?› Ax seemed surprised. ‹Well, I like that you don’t make me feel like I have to be human to do human things with you. I would not mind to do Andalite things with you in this form.› 

“What do Andalites do to hang out?”

Ax looked up and touched his hand to his chin. ‹As an _aristh_ , mostly sparring. Tail fighting is an important skill and bonding ritual.›

“I guess that’s out,” Marco muttered.

‹We also recite poetry, garden, and practice flower arranging, but I have never been patient enough to appreciate the arts.›

“Yeah, me either,” Marco agreed.

‹We value a skilled debate,› Ax said.

“I think we’ve got that down.”

‹We… go on walks together to appreciate the various cultivars of grass in public spaces.›

“Okay, let’s walk. I guess I won’t appreciate the various grasses, but I’ll do my best. Have you had breakfast?” Marco asked.

‹I have not. Are you sure you don’t need more outer garments?› Ax indicated Marco’s trembling shoulders.

“Can’t be helped,” Marco said. “Anyway, a walk will warm me up. Lead the way.”

‹Of course,› Ax said. Ax led Marco to the edge of the clearing, the opposite direction of his scoop, and onto a lightly-wooded, grassy trail. The sun shone through the partial tree cover in beams that played on the grass as the light wind rustled the leaves. Marco stuck to the sunny parts of the path, hoping to warm up a bit, but keeping up with Ax’s brisk pace was helping.

Ax was very familiar with the area -- clearly, he didn’t have much to do if they weren’t on a mission and he’d scouted out much of the land near Cassie’s farm. Marco thought about what Tobias had said -- that he was lonely. Ax had tiptoed around that admission, in not so many words. Marco suddenly felt annoyed that no one but Tobias made an effort to spend time with Ax when it wasn’t life or death. He practically rented a room on Cassie’s property -- why didn’t she reach out to Ax more? 

Resentment for Cassie flared up, unbidden. He’d let her in his head and now she would have even more justification to moralize, but what right did she have, really? She had so much -- a good family, a sense of purpose, a great boyfriend -- she didn’t have to share or sacrifice any of that. It was easy for her to take the moral high ground, she hadn’t had to lose anything. Yet. 

Marco looked around as the forest deepened. There were bushes with various colors of berries, vines creeping out along the forest floor, ferns peeking under the gnarled roots of older trees. Still, Ax was taking care to stay out from under the canopy of the woods, so the ground beneath them was mostly clear and grassy, soft under Marco’s bare feet.

“I do appreciate the grass,” Marco said, breaking the silence.

‹Yes?› Ax smiled with his eyes and fire burnt in Marco’s stomach. ‹It is much more lush and nutrient-rich than the paltry grass in Cassie’s horse field.› 

“I guess they don’t know what they’re missing,” Marco said.

‹No, horses are not very intelligent, as you’ll recall. It is disappointing that the animals that are closest to my own form did not evolve sentience here.›

“Yep, just us inadequate, awkward, two-legged bald apes,” Marco muttered.

Ax stopped and studied Marco, who quirked an eyebrow up at him. Ax held out his hand for Marco to take. Marco’s heart pounded hard as he put his hand in Ax’s. It was pleasantly warm and velvety, which just made Marco nervous about his own cold, clammy hands. 

They carried on walking for a bit, hands linked, before Ax said, ‹Earlier I may have indicated I am not interested in your human form as an Andalite. That is not the case. Humans just experience these feelings… more, in general. Andalite relationships are not very emotionally expressive. But if you recall, I expressed affection toward you in this form before I was sure about your feelings.›

“Yeah, kissing me without telling me, very cool,” Marco said, rolling his eyes. The terrain was getting a bit rougher and Marco was glad to be holding Ax’s hand because his balance was much more steady. The thought would have pleased Ax.

‹I know you, and I think you would have done the same in my position,› Ax said smugly. 

“You’re probably right and that’s why I like you,” Marco admitted. “Except I would’ve kept doing it and never told you.”

‹I believe it.› Ax stepped daintily over a large log and paused so Marco could cross it more deliberately. Ax’s hand tightened on Marco’s as he stepped, even though Ax’s weaker arms wouldn’t be much help if he did fall. ‹I also believe I would have lost patience and would still have acted.›

“Um… Is it common for Andalites to be interested in aliens?” Marco asked as they continued down the path.

‹Not at all -- ›

“I don’t know why I even needed to ask, of course not,” Marco scoffed. 

‹I only know of a few instances and one of them was my own brother,› Ax said, ignoring Marco’s remark. 

“You must have an open-minded family, I guess.” At this point, the path got very rough and Marco had to climb up a ridge that Ax sprang over in an effortless arc.

‹I am not sure, but I hope so,› Ax said.

Marco glanced sideways at Ax, arching a brow. “What does that mean?” 

‹We’ve arrived,› Ax announced with a sweep of his arm. Marco snickered and wondered if he’d seen that on the Lion King or something. Then he followed Ax’s gesture, looking out between the trees. 

The path opened up into another clearing deep in the forest. Marco could barely believe where they were, the greenery was so thick. He could have mistaken it for a rainforest, if he didn’t look closely to recognize familiar plants. The grass was a thick carpet, ivy and moss climbed up the wall of trees, and huge ferns lined the edge of the woods around the clearing. The canopy opened wide above them, and the sun pierced through in thick bars, stabbing through a layer of blue fog that was still settled in a swirling sheet over the ground.

Marco’s mouth fell open and Ax eye-smiled brilliantly at his reaction. Ax bounded off into the clearing like a playful deer, his hooves stirring up the fog. Marco, awestruck by nature and the Andalite enjoying it, had to remind himself to breathe. Throwing away his inhibitions, Marco ran after Ax. There was no way he could catch Ax, and that seemed to exhilarate Ax even more. Ax vaulted from one edge of the clearing to another, and he might as well have been flying. 

Marco stopped in the center, puffing out short, quickened breaths. Ax closed the distance between them, bouncing from Marco’s left to his right side, zigzagging a circle around him. Ax stopped suddenly, facing Marco, and whipped his tail forward. Marco didn’t have time to react or he might have flinched at the potential danger of Ax’s deadly tail blade. The midpoint of Ax’s tail hooked around Marco’s back. Marco felt the powerful muscles flex around his hips and Ax pulled him in until he was forced to catch himself against Ax’s chest. Marco’s fingers curled into the soft fur and he bit his lip, breathless and tingling all over.

He craned his neck to look up at Ax, whose big main eyes sparkled with all the colors of the grove and infinite deeper alien greens. Ax traced his fingers along Marco’s jaw and then flattened his palm against Marco’s cheek.

“This is really, really good grass,” Marco breathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aximili is SO GOOD at Andalite dating and Marco is SO BAD at talking about feelings. These are universal truths.
> 
> Thanks again, Kelbrid!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Ax's forest date is interrupted by a meeting summons. Marco catches everyone up to the status of the mission.

Marco wasn’t usually a fan of what other people called “comfortable silence” -- silence made him anxious and he was compelled to fill it. But Ax’s secret glade had the consecrated feel of a church or a library, and Marco sat down in a patch of sunlight to take it in. The sounds of the forest washed over him, louder than the ocean. Marco couldn’t remember the last time he felt calm, but this was close. Ax walked around nearby, presumably having his breakfast, and Marco alternated between watching him and looking up at the birds moving through the canopy.

After a few minutes, Ax came over and curled his legs up to rest next to Marco. They were side by side, but Ax’s humanoid torso was much taller than Marco, as usual, and Marco looked up at him. Marco tried to be careful to preserve the space between them, knowing Andalites didn’t touch each other much. Ax seemed to notice and shifted closer to Marco so that his deerlike lower torso curled around Marco’s side and back.

Marco wondered when he’d get used to Ax’s proximity and stop having heart palpitations when he did things. He certainly wasn’t there yet. 

‹You are welcome to touch my fur if you’d like. I would not be on the ground if I didn’t want you to,› Ax said. 

Marco bit his lip. He’d just have to accept this new even weirder status quo. He reached his hand out and touched Ax’s side cautiously, then gave him a gentle pat. It was like he was petting a dog he thought might be aggressive and it made Marco feel so stupid, he decided to just go for it. He flopped over onto Ax’s back, burying his face in the longer fur on Ax’s withers. Ax jerked in surprise and braced his hooves on the ground. Marco thought his fur might be standing on edge. Good, maybe he was feeling half as awkward as Marco had been feeling for days. 

Marco draped his arm over Ax’s opposite side and buried his other hand into Ax’s flank fur. Here he was able to really appreciate the mottled shades of blue, teal, and tan that made up the subtle but intricate patterns in Ax’s coat. He also couldn’t help notice the pleasant scent of his fur -- grass, rain, and something lightly sweet. Ax really was exquisitely soft and warm and Marco thought with his cheek pressed against his back he could hear his heartbeat. Heartbeats? Marco laughed suddenly at how ludicrous this whole situation was. He was snuggling and sniffing a furry centaur with more than one heart. Say goodbye to normal forever. 

He embraced Ax’s back like he would a body pillow and Ax swiveled his humanoid torso to peer down at him. Ax raised a seven-fingered hand hesitantly, then stroked Marco’s hair, his fingers threading into the thick strands and massaging his scalp. 

Marco sighed and let himself melt into Ax. He could feel his own heartbeat slow as he absorbed Ax’s warmth and listened to Ax’s heartbeats mix with the gentle but constant rustle of leaves and distant chatter of animals. Everything melded together into a soft, warm hum. Ax continued to run his fingers through Marco’s hair as Marco drifted off.

~*~

‹Ax?› a thought-speak voice pierced into Marco’s brain, rousing him from his unbidden nap on Ax. ‹Oh. Uh. Sorry for interrupting whatever you’re doing. I don’t know what I expected, but I suppose it could be worse. Please pretend I didn’t see anything. I’m going to. That’s a rule going forward, by the way.› Tobias was flustered and wouldn’t stop yammering.

Marco buried his face into Ax’s side, wishing he could shut out the nervous chatter in his head. Marco rolled over onto his back, squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them with the heel of his right hand. He pushed himself up off of Ax with his left hand. 

‹There’s a meeting,› Tobias finally managed.

‹Thank you, Tobias,› Ax said. He rose carefully and held a hand out to help Marco up. 

Marco, still groggy, accepted Ax’s hand, but almost bowled Ax over with his own weight. Ax stumbled and Marco grabbed his arms to steady them both. “Sorry, Ax-man. I uh, didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

‹It is fine,› Ax reassured him. ‹It was… cute.›

“What time is it?” Marco asked, shaking his head as they made their way back to the path.

‹After 2:00, your time,› Ax said, hopping down the ridge they had climbed earlier and helping Marco down.

“What? How could you let me sleep on your back that long?” Marco said incredulously. “Also, whose time would I be talking about? Set your watch to Earth time for good.”

‹It would have required more effort to wake you. Letting you sleep required no exertion on my part.› Ax picked up the pace and Marco had to almost jog to keep up with him.

“Yeah, but it’s embarrassing,” Marco huffed, falling behind Ax.

‹There’s no need to be embarrassed; I am aware humans need a lot of sleep, and that sometimes they speak while doing so,› Ax said.

“Wait, what?” 

Ax turned around and his inscrutable expression registered as possibly mischievous. ‹I believe you call that ‘kidding.’›

“ _Ugh _,” Marco said. “Why do so many people try to tease me like that?”__

__‹Again, it is possibly because your reactions are ‘cute.’› Ax sounded like he was giving a completely serious assessment and Marco grinned._ _

__They came to the edge of the woods and Ax stopped to morph human before they continued walking together to Cassie’s barn._ _

__They were the last to arrive and Marco sat down on a small hay bale across from Jake and Cassie. Cassie’s eyes slid away from Marco and pretended to be interested in something off to her right. So that’s how it was going to be. Marco could play that game, and probably better. Ax sat next to Marco on the hay bale, so close their thighs were together, and braced himself on the bale with the arm closest to Marco, so that his arm crossed Marco’s back. The hay bale version of putting your arm over someone’s seat at the movies. Marco rolled his eyes up to Ax, who grinned._ _

__Everyone stared, but especially Rachel. “You guys are awfully cuddly,” she said smoothly._ _

__“You should have seen us earlier,” Marco shot back and Jake snorted, clearly despite himself. No use being coy. Everyone knew but Rachel and keeping it from her would just piss her off._ _

__‹Pass on that,› Tobias advised._ _

__Rachel lifted a perfectly-groomed brow but barely reacted. “Good,” she said breezily. “Maybe Ax will be able to shut you up for a second.”_ _

__“Or maybe I’ll just go on about my interspecies fling. Wanna join?” Marco retorted._ _

__“Nope, you’re still loathsome. I guess Andalites can’t perform miracles.” Rachel sneered._ _

__“No, miracles are a scientific impossibility. And it has only technically -- tek-nik-al-lee -- been ‘interspecies’ approximately half the time. I was in human morph for the kissing parts,” Ax chimed in. Marco looked balefully up at Ax, his head touching Ax’s shoulder._ _

__Rachel blanched and turned to Jake. “Are you going to start the meeting?”_ _

__“I’m waiting to see if Marco gets himself killed,” Jake said with a shrug._ _

__“He’s close, better start,” Rachel warned, shooting Marco a cool smile._ _

__“Okay, first,” Jake said. “Marco, are you ever coming back to school? Mrs. Robbinette noticed you weren’t in class. I told her you went home, so you better beat her there.”_ _

__“Have I mentioned that your dad marrying your math teacher is the worst idea? I don’t recommend it,” Marco lamented into the rafters._ _

__“She must really like your dad, to accept a goblin like you,” Rachel said._ _

__“Believe me, I tried all the goblin tricks,” Marco agreed. “I guess I’m gonna be double-grounded. Bye forever, everyone, have fun with the war.”_ _

__“Second,” Jake continued, “what happened with the Yeerks you saved?”_ _

__“They have a safe house upstate, Erek fixed them up with sweet sweet Kandrona, and they’re going into the Alien Witness Protection Program. Also, they’re done with us.” Marco explained. “What happened to the rest of them?”_ _

__“They didn’t all have underground fortresses,” Cassie murmured, her hands balled into fists. Jake put a hand on her back._ _

__“Yeah clearly,” Marco said, trying to keep his voice even, “I just didn’t expect me and Ax, who barely gave a shit, to be the only ones to save anyone.”_ _

__Cassie stood up. “They were our allies and they suffered and it’s not a joke. You don’t have to tell _me_ how little you cared.”_ _

__Marco crossed his arms and glared at her. “I saved seven people and seven slugs. Maybe you cared more, but I got the job done. Tell me which matters more.”_ _

__Cassie was shaking and her knuckles were white. Her right arm was coiled like she was seconds from punching Marco. He almost smirked at the thought. He wanted her to. “You’re sick, Marco. I don’t know how you live with yourself.”_ _

__“Good to know you enjoyed infesting me as much as I did,” Marco snarled._ _

__Cassie stepped forward, but Jake pulled her back. She wheeled on him and he stepped backwards and put his hands up. She looked between Rachel’s shock and Jake’s sadness, then back at Marco, who grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes at her. There were tears in her eyes._ _

__Jake reached out to touch her arm and she jerked away and whispered, “Don’t,” and left the barn. Jake and Rachel stared after her._ _

__Jake turned on Marco. “What was that?”_ _

__“Why am I in trouble for doing the job? I saved them! It’s not my fault she’s acting insane.” Jake looked at him in that annoying mix of general and dad that just made Marco miss his friend. Marco continued, “What? Am I supposed to take responsibility for her being so disgusted with _my mind_ that she can’t stand me? She gets to take it out on me? Do you think I wanted her inside me? Do you think it was fun for me? We saved Ax, and I would have done worse to do it and now everyone knows why. Tell her to keep herself together. I am.”_ _

__Jake pinched the bridge of his nose. “Not everyone is prepared to do what you do.”_ _

__“Obviously. But that doesn’t stop you from coming to me when you need it done, does it?” Marco and Jake glared at each other. Ax was looking up at Tobias, who was preening, probably trying to pretend this wasn’t happening. Rachel’s arms and legs were crossed and she had a stormy look. Marco knew she knew how he felt -- what it was like to be a tool of the war, a human sacrifice to the dirty work._ _

__“Okay.” Jake sighed and brushed back his hair. He closed his eyes and gathered himself and when he spoke, his voice was even and gentle. “Good job last night, Marco, Ax. Really. I think we can take a break for a while. Let me know if Erek contacts you with more information, but I guess we’re going to assume there’s no more peace movement. Um, meeting adjourned, I guess. I’m going to go talk to Cassie.”_ _

__Jake left and the rest of the group avoided eye contact, silence falling over them oppressively. Finally, Rachel said, “I’ve never seen Cassie like that.”_ _

__“I have that effect on people, I guess. Any real Yeerk who wants me better watch out,” Marco grumbled and then shuddered at the thought. He’d experienced the utter powerlessness of being infested now, and the person doing it had been a friend. He hated the Yeerks so much more, if only for the terror of what the real thing must feel like. For the sick way he felt when he thought of how his mother endured it for years._ _

__“I get it. I really do,” Rachel said and Marco looked back to her. She looked surprisingly soft, more like the girl he knew before war had carved her into a weapon. “I think Cassie tries to pretend we haven’t become what we are. And now she can’t with you anymore. It’s brave you let her see the real you. Or something.” Rachel admitted, “I take a lot of comfort pretending I’m the person she sees.”_ _

__She stood, tossing her perfect blonde hair behind her and holding her arm out. “Tobias?” she called. Tobias fluttered down from the rafters to sink his talons into the sleeve of her sharply tailored white bolero. She walked to the door and turned to look icily over her shoulder at Marco and Ax. “Congrats on the relationship, though. You deserve each other.” And then she was gone._ _

__Marco and Ax looked at each other. “What do you think she meant by that?” Marco asked, expression and posture softening._ _

__“I believe she intended a double meaning, meeeng, guh,” Ax said and Marco smiled at him. Ax returned the smile, although he hesitated and it was a bit strained._ _

__“I’ve gotta get home, like, ASAP,” Marco said._ _

__“I suppose we will see each other later, then. Layder,” Ax said._ _

__“You could come home with me, if you wanted,” Marco suggested._ _

__“Didn’t you mention you are grounded? Dead? Ground-dead.”_ _

__“Sure, but my dad thinks you’re my boyfriend and told me to go for it. He wants me to do what he says, right?” Marco grinned, one side of his mouth quirking more than the other._ _

__Ax raised his eyebrows and lowered his eyelids in an expression that reminded Marco of his more obviously imperious Andalite self. “I seeeee.”_ _

__Marco shifted; Ax’s reaction made him nervous. “Human parents are like that. I’m not like, claiming you. It’s been two days.”_ _

__Ax tilted his head and looked at Marco through his long lashes. “Didn’t you need to get home? Ho-muh?”_ _

__“Are you coming?” Marco went ahead and started morphing._ _

__Ax looked around for any signs of Cassie’s parents and started demorphing. “Yes,” he answered before his mouth was gone._ _

__‹Meet me there, I’ll have the window open.›_ _

__Marco took wing and flew at top speed to the place he stashed his clothes. His chest muscles were burning when he landed. He demorphed, dressed quickly, and peeked up over the hedge. He was well-concealed -- sometimes being short was an advantage -- and was able to leave his hiding spot as soon as a woman put her shopping bags in her passenger seat and pulled out of the spot directly in front of him._ _

__Marco power-walked back to his house, unlocked the door, and entered quietly. Euclid the poodle came running and jumped up, scratching at Marco’s knees. He let out a huge sigh of relief because if Nora was home, Euclid would have been with her. He went to his room, shoving the dog out of the way with his foot and locking the door behind him. He threw open the window for Ax, stripped off his outer layer of clothing, and changed into PJ bottoms and a T-shirt. He messed up his bed to make it look like he’d been in it most of the day._ _

__A northern harrier landed on the windowsill and ducked in. Marco walked over and shut the window and curtains behind him. Ax flapped down to the carpet and started to demorph. Marco heard the front door open. His heart began to race and he looked down at Ax, still mostly bird. “Hurry,” he urged._ _

__‹I am going as fast as I can,› Ax said._ _

__“Marco?” Nora called from the front of the house. Marco could hear her putting her keys down. He glanced from Ax to the door he’d just locked and back._ _

__“Yeah?” Marco asked through the door, trying to sound groggy and sick._ _

__“How are you feeling?” Nora asked, her voice getting closer._ _

__“Pretty bad,” Marco said, and it wasn’t a lie._ _

__“Sorry to hear that -- can I get you anything?” Nora’s voice was right outside the door. Ax had returned to his Andalite form and was just starting to morph human._ _

__“No, I’m fine. Really.” Marco urged, his voice weak with dread and put on illness._ _

__“Are you sure?” Nora asked, “May I come in?”_ _

__“Uh yeah,” Marco said. He was in his closet rifling through the piles of wadded up clothes for something oversized that might fit Ax. He found some cargo shorts that gapped at the waist when he had a belt on and a tie-dyed tourist T-shirt he could wear like a dress that he got as a gift from his abuelita. He threw them at Ax’s still half-Andalite face._ _

__She tried the door and it rattled against her, obviously locked. “Marco, the door’s locked.”_ _

__“Oh!” he said in faux surprise. “Huh, let me get out of bed and get that for you.” For no one’s benefit, he mimed laborious walking and groaned as if in pain. He gripped the knob and shook it violently. “That’s so weird, you know this stupid old thing is always getting stuck.”_ _

__“This house was built in ‘93,” Nora said from the other side of the door._ _

__“Vintage door,” Marco replied. He glanced back at Ax who was just pulling on the shorts with all the grace of a newborn horse. “Sit down,” Marco hissed. Ax gawkily fell back into Marco’s desk chair and finished adjusting his clothes -- the shirt hugged his ribs and the shorts were basically short-shorts. He looked like he was visiting the beach on laundry day and had borrowed clothes from his little sister. Marco pursed his lips._ _

__Marco unlocked the door and opened it, putting on an exhausted expression he didn’t have to dig too deeply for. Nora had Euclid in her arms. She frowned sympathetically at Marco and then spotted Ax over his shoulder._ _

__She smiled at Ax but her eyes were still surprised. “Oh, Ax is here! Hi, Ax.” She was using her teacher voice._ _

__“Ax helped me get home,” Marco lied._ _

__“Yes,” Ax confirmed. “I was worried for his health.”_ _

__“Oh, that’s very nice of you, Ax,” Nora said without a lot of sincerity, her eyes scanning him up and down and taking in his seasonally and stylistically inappropriate garb. “Does your family know you’re here?”_ _

__“Yes,” Marco answered quickly._ _

__“My family is in Germany,” Ax answered at the same time._ _

__Marco turned and glared at him. “She means the people you’re staying with.”_ _

__“Of course,” Ax said. “Yes.”_ _

__Nora quirked an eyebrow skeptically. “Okay. Marco, I’m going to call your father and let him know we have company.” She twisted the doorknob smoothly a couple times before gently closing the door behind her. Marco was glad Nora never tried to act like his mom, even if she usually acted like his teacher. She probably knew he would become a complete nightmare to deal with if she even thought about parenting him._ _

__“Was that awkward?” Ax asked. “Awk. WARD?”_ _

__“Yes, that was awkward,” Marco confirmed flatly. He sat down on his bed and pulled his hair back off his shoulder, holding it up on his head. “You know what else is awkward? Those clothes on you.” Marco let his hair fall, and it was attractively tousled._ _

__Ax watched Marco play with his own hair intently. “They are very form-fitting,” he agreed. “I think I could morph the shirt.” Ax pulled the multicolored shirt away from his chest and let go. It snapped back, taut over his morphing outfit._ _

__“Sorry.” Marco scooted to the edge of the bed. “You wanna have a _Street Fighter_ rematch? No intentionally trying to distract me by rubbing up against me this time.”_ _

__Ax smiled broadly. “Was it intentional? Ten-shon?” He got up and sat on the foot of Marco’s bed. Marco retrieved the controllers and turned on the Sega and the TV._ _

__They played a few games as Blanka and Dhalsim again, and Marco won soundly, even when Ax shifted up next to him again. Their arms and legs touched, and Marco threw Ax a competitive dirty look for just a moment before performing a brutal finishing combo._ _

__“Hah!” Marco stood up triumphantly and tossed his controller onto the bed. “You can’t distract me anymore!”_ _

__Standing up, Marco was only slightly taller than Ax was sitting. Ax snaked an arm around Marco’s waist to pull him closer. Then Ax’s other hand was on his face, and he leaned forward to kiss Marco softly. Marco put his arms over Ax’s shoulders and kissed back, feeling more confident about taking control._ _

__They parted and Marco put his own hand on Ax’s cheek, which made Ax smile. “That’s cheating,” Marco whispered onto Ax’s lips, focusing in on his long eyelashes._ _

__“Sometimes you have to cheat to win,” Ax said, and Marco felt his knees go a little weak. Marco kissed him again before settling back down next to him._ _


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco's dad interrogates Ax over board games and pizza.

They played a few more rounds, and Ax got close to winning when Marco heard the door open again and his dad calling his name. He got up, quickly turned off the TV, and stashed the controllers, then went to open the door just as his dad was putting his hand up to knock. 

“Hi Dad,” Marco said weakly.

“Hey, kid,” his dad said. He looked behind Marco and waved. “Hi, Ax. Are you staying for dinner?” Peter locked eyes with Marco in a clear “we’re going to discuss this later” message. 

There was no universe in which Ax was going to turn down food. Marco almost wanted to decline for him to spare his dad and Nora further exposure to Ax’s food rampages. Marco imagined Ax’s betrayed face if he'd denied him food and snickered to himself, even though he knew he couldn’t do that to him. The mental image would have to be enough.

The boys followed Peter into the living room and Peter started to dial the cordless phone. “What’s your pizza order, Ax?”

“We are getting pizza?” Ax lit up, looking excitedly from Marco to Peter. Marco rolled his eyes and Peter smiled like he was giving a toy to a kid in a disaster zone. Marco wondered if his dad thought Ax was being starved by his host family.

“Ax likes everything. Extra pineapple,” Marco added. He’d like that.

Peter put in their order and ordered Ax his own large pizza with everything and extra pineapple. Ax had a glazed expression like he was already fantasizing about it. A whole pizza. Marco was already picturing it, too. How long would it take Ax to destroy a whole pizza? Fifteen minutes? 

“Okay, so, come get us when the pizza arrives?” Marco asked, backing up toward the hall.

“Not so fast,” Peter said. “How often do we have this many players since Jake stopped coming over?”

Marco squinted. He knew what his dad was getting at. “No, we’re good. I still don’t feel great.”

“Good,” his dad said, ignoring him and going to the closet to get a big box down from over the coat hangers. “Maybe that means I’ll be able to beat you, you little cutthroat.” Peter set the game down on the kitchen table. Risk. He looked up at Ax as he opened the box. “You’ve gotta watch out for this one.”

“I know,” Ax replied to Peter but he looked at Marco. “What is Risk?”

“They don’t have Risk in Germany? I thought they had all kinds of cool board games in Germany,” Nora said, sitting down at the table with Euclid in her lap.

“Risk is a strategy game where you pretend to be world powers fighting a war to take over the world,” Marco explained dryly.

“Oh,” Ax looked intently at the board as Peter laid it out. “Fascinating. My people do have such things. They are more advanced than this, of course. I am interested, but please excuse me. Ex-kyooz.” Ax left, presumably to go to the bathroom and demorph. 

Marco looked pleadingly at his dad. Peter said, “What are you complaining about? You always win.”

Marco frowned and sat down heavily, knowing his dad wasn’t going to let him argue. Marco hadn’t had the stomach for this game since real life had become Risk in so many different ways and he was stuck hopelessly defending Australia every day. Ax returned shortly and took the seat between Marco and Nora.

They started claiming territories as Peter explained the game to Ax. “You know,” Peter commented, “the great thing about you, Ax, is how much neater Marco’s been since you started coming over.” 

Marco looked up from the board. Peter smiled innocently at him. Marco grit his teeth and didn’t say anything but put another piece on Egypt.

Peter whistled. “Marco’s famous North Africa strategy. We’re dead meat.” 

“Yeah well, good luck holding America, Dad,” Marco said snidely.

“Is ‘trash talk’ an important aspect of this game?” Ax asked, carefully laying down a piece of his own. He was clearly over thinking a terrible strategy.

“The most important, in this house. You’re a bright kid, Ax,” Peter said. “Speaking of bright kids, Nora, did I ever tell you about the time I was called in to a parent-teacher conference because Marco peer corrected a girl’s assignment so harshly, it made her cry?”

Nora smiled sympathetically at Marco and replied, “No, but that sounds like him.”

“Or what about that time I got a call because he was charging to let other kids play his GameBoy?” Marco sank into his seat and stared at the board. He was going to destroy his dad.

“Enterprising,” Nora commented, touching her chin and jotting down what looked like math before she made her move. 

“Hey Marco,” Peter said, making sure Marco looked up at him. Peter stared him straight in the eye. “Remember when you got in trouble in computer class because you wouldn’t stop calling floppy disks ‘floppy dicks’?” 

Nora snorted and covered her mouth. Marco planted his hands on the table and stood up, prepared to walk out, and then the doorbell rang.

“Marco, will you get that?” Peter asked, unable to contain his own wicked grin. Marco looked over at Ax. He seemed oblivious to Peter’s concerted effort to humiliate Marco, but he did look like he could barely contain his excitement about pizza. Sighing, Marco padded over to the counter, got $40 out of his dad’s wallet, and answered the door. He handed over the money, and the pizza guy handed over their two large pizzas and his small. 

Marco set the pizzas out on the counter, put plates for each of them next to the line of boxes, served himself, and sat down. “Dig in,” he muttered, waving back toward the kitchen. “I’m not your waiter.”

Ax scooted his seat back loudly and crossed the room in two strides. He was literally humming with excitement while he arranged pizza on his plate.

“Is that the _Fresh Prince_ theme?” Peter asked, coming up behind Ax. Marco smiled around his pizza.

They resumed the game, now with food to occupy Peter’s mouth and hopefully shut him up. Ax had piled half his pizza on his plate and had already gobbled down a whole piece within two minutes. Nora, next to him, was staring.

“He didn’t get lunch,” Marco explained.

Peter frowned. He definitely thought Ax was being starved. “Do you like your host family?” Peter asked.

Ax’s cheeks were full like a hamster's and his mouth was ringed with grease and sauce. He took a moment to chew and Marco had to resist wiping Ax’s face for him like he would have at the mall. Marco touched the corner of his own mouth -- had that counted as Andalite kissing too? If so, Ax was shockingly manipulative to let him do that all the time. Marco grinned to himself at the thought and shook his head. 

When his mouth was empty, Ax said, “They are fine.”

“You said you decided to stay in America for your studies? Are you planning to stay here for college?” Peter took over a territory, grabbed a card, and took a big bite of pepperoni pizza.

“I am not sure yet. Many things can change in several years,” Ax answered honestly. Nora helpfully passed him a napkin, and he wiped his face off, not that it would help much because he was still going strong.

“Do you miss your family?” Peter asked.

Ax looked up at him, frowning slightly. Marco was starting to squirm. “I do. It is difficult sometimes, but I appreciate being welcomed into the homes of my friends’ families.”

Peter and Nora smiled at each other. Peter continued, “What do your parents do?”

“My father is a communications engineer and my mother is a writer. Mostly poetry.” Ax leaned over the board, and Marco pulled his pizza out from under him to keep the hideous borrowed shirt from getting stained. 

“Is that true?” Marco asked.

“Yes.” Ax finished his move and looked at Marco. “Why would I lie?”

“I just didn’t know that.”

“Well, that’s why you need to talk to him about more than yourself, Marco,” Peter remarked and winked at Marco when he glared. “Sounds like your dad and I would have a lot to talk about. You know that’s pretty close to what I do, too.”

“Yes, I am aware.”

“Do you think I might get to meet him someday?” Peter leaned forward, his elbow on the table and his chin cupped in his hand.

Ax looked at Marco, whose mouth was open. Marco tried to kick his dad under the table, but his legs were too short and Peter just kept smiling.

“I… don’t know,” Ax answered cautiously. “ _Germany_ is… quite far, and they haven’t had the opportunity to visit.”

“ _Dad_ ,” Marco fumed, setting down more troops in Iceland.

“What?” Peter said in a blameless tone. “Is it a crime to talk to him about his family? But I don’t mind changing topics. Ax, what do you like about Marco?”

Marco stopped breathing, and both boys stared at each other. Was Ax blushing? Ax was blushing. Ax wiped his mouth again, stared at his empty plate, looked over at the rest of the pizza like he wished he could escape, then looked back up at Peter. 

“I… Many things. He is brilliant. He will do anything for those he cares about. He has helped me appreciate your culture more than anyone else. He is thoughtful but doesn’t want anyone to know. I have noticed he is more patient with me than he is with others. His values are more in line with my own than anyone I’ve met here. And he has nice hair.”

The table was silent. Marco’s heart was racing. He stared at his Iceland forces. He never wanted to look at his dad again. Ax got up for more pizza. Marco let the breath he was holding out and tried not to hyperventilate. “You’re killing me, Dad,” he growled under his breath.

“Nora, bury us together because Ax just killed me too,” Peter whispered.

“You both deserve everything you get,” Nora said, calmly taking her turn as if nothing had happened, and jotting down more math.

Ax sat back down with the other half of his pizza and contemplated his moves. He put his chin in his hand and his elbow on the table, his apparent disappointment slightly undermined by his continued enthusiastic eating. “I think Asia was a bad idea. I am sandwiched between Marco and Nora. Marco is being characteristically aggressive, and Nora keeps preventing me from having a bonus.”

“Don’t worry, Ax-man. I’ll get you later.” With that, Marco moved his forces into Peter’s territory and completely wiped him out. He crossed his arms and gave his dad a fractious look. Peter was smiling a slushy grin and shaking his head. “And god, _Dad_ , stop grilling Ax. Fine. We kissed. Now you know.”

Peter mouth dropped open and then he broke out in a huge smile. “I don’t even care if you just decimated me.”

“ _Technically_ ,” Ax said, sounding out each individual syllable, “that would mean he destroyed a significant percentage of your forces. He annihilated you.”

“He annihilated me when he got such a cute boyfriend.” Peter made a finger gun at Ax. Ax jerked back as if he expected something to happen. Marco sank so low in his chair, his eyes were just peeking over the table.

“Peter, you’re awful,” Nora said and moved her forces in on Ax, taking half his territories. She did the same to Marco, who was suddenly spread thin by his retaliatory attack. Marco sat up, surprised. He hadn’t even been paying attention to Nora. Marco made a desperate attempt to regroup, but Nora had destroyed his bonuses as well. She took out Ax first, and it was only a few more rounds before the game was over. She sat back with a satisfied smile, petting Euclid like she was Dr. Evil. Or Dr. Claw. Or Zorg. Nora was so obviously evil.

“Well that was an embarrassment. In a lot of ways.” Marco slumped in his chair.

“I honestly think this is the first time he’s ever lost. I guess we found your weakness, huh, Marco? But who can blame you?” Peter clapped Ax on the shoulder, and Ax flinched in surprise. Marco shuddered, hoping that wasn’t an omen.

“I need to be going. Thank you for the pizza, Marco’s Dad and Nora.” Ax said. Nora handed him another napkin, and he obliged her by wiping grease off his whole face. 

“Thank god.” Marco stood immediately. “Let me walk you out.”

They headed for the door and just as Marco was opening it, Peter asked, “Hey, Ax, are you forgetting your shoes?”

“He left them at school,” Marco shot back and herded Ax outside, shutting the door behind him. Marco put his hands on his knees like he’d just run a marathon. “I don’t even know what to say. Just, sorry.”

Ax shrugged, a motion he’d picked up from his human friends. “I believe that ritual was intended more as an ordeal for you than me. Ritch-oo-uhl.”

“So you got that, that he was doing that to mess with me?” 

“Yes.” Ax quirked a half smile. “If I am honest with you, Andalite parents have a similar ritual, except there is also a recitation you must memorize.”

“What?” Marco wrapped his hand around his own neck. “Are you kidding again?”

“I am not. I will teach it to you if you ever have need of it.”

“Ax, are you seriously talking about introducing me to your parents?” Marco croaked. “I thought you kind of implied it earlier today.”

“First, the war would have to be over. Oh-ver. We would have to survive. I hope for both outcomes. But it seems only fair, since I have met your father many times.”

“And you think we’ll… be together?” Marco said, voice cracking with cynicism.

Ax shrugged. “Are we together _now_? Am I your boyfriend, as your father says?”

Marco looked down at his feet. “I dunno. It’s only been two days.”

“So I suppose we will see.” 

“Wouldn’t bringing home an alien mess up your ‘Andalite honor’?” Marco muttered.

“My honor is already in question. I am a subversive rebel. Reh-bull. My family will have to ‘deal with it.’” 

Marco snorted. “Okay, rebel, I’m sure you’ve got to demorph, so I guess you should go. Don’t kiss me, my dad is watching out the window.”

Ax nodded and brushed his thumb along Marco’s cheekbone instead. Marco felt a warm shiver travel all the way down to his toes. Ax walked, barefoot and underdressed, down the street, and dipped into an alley. 

Marco went back inside. His dad was indeed at the window, grinning.

“So, am I getting a lecture on inviting friends over while grounded, or was that degrading experience my punishment?” Marco asked.

“Definitely the latter,” Peter said. “But I think you’re fine to go to school tomorrow, so don’t try to get out of it. Call me if you feel like you need to go home. And you’re still grounded.”

“Did you decide how long, and does this evening count as credit?” Marco negotiated.

“This evening was punishment for bringing Ax over when you knew you weren’t supposed to,” Peter said firmly. “Also, don’t lock the door with your boyfriend in your room. And next time he sleeps over, he’s on the couch. And two weeks.”

“You know, we just kissed. He’s not _really_ my boyfriend,” Marco protested. “And we’re not going to _do anything_.”

“Uh huh.” Peter put his hands on his hips. “Not-Your-Boyfriend said things about you that would make pretty nice wedding vows.” 

“Don’t marry us in your head, dad. The only dates we’ve been on have been with _you_ present, and you’re keeping it that way for the foreseeable future.” Marco pursed his lips. 

“Oh, you have permission to ask him to hang out with me and Nora. We like him better than you. He’s way more funny.” Peter leaned down to Marco’s level, still smiling.

“Oh good, glad you want to hang out with the boy I like. I am very encouraged by tonight’s demonstration.” Marco rolled his eyes. “I’m tired, and I have makeup work to do. Anything else?”

Peter looked like he had a lot more to say. He tightened his lips thoughtfully and decided against verbalizing whatever feelings he was having. Instead, he pulled Marco by the shoulder into a firm hug. Marco tensed and moved to push his dad away, but hesitated. He couldn’t remember the last time he gave his dad a hug. They probably both needed it. Marco wrapped his arms limply around his dad’s waist, and Peter tightened his own embrace in response. Peter had a pretty good feeling for how guarded Marco was and ended the hug only a little after Marco started feeling like he needed to do a barrel roll and run away. 

They separated and Peter gave Marco a pat on the shoulder. “I’m glad you’re such a good friend, Marco.” 

Peter’s face was all sentimental. Suddenly, Marco’s throat was hot, so he said, “Night, Dad.” He spun on his heel and went to his room, contemplating his friendships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So board games and pizza is pretty much still my ideal evening, I don't know what Marco is whining about.
> 
> Only one more chapter to go, so this fic should be finished up on Monday. But don't worry, this is definitely a series and the next one is already half done. :D


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco finally goes back to school and ties up some loose ends.

The next day, Marco actually made it all the way to school and remembered why he avoided it whenever possible. Jake and Rachel seemed to relish in the pretend normalcy, like if they blended in well enough they could believe it. For Marco, pretending to be a normal kid was exhausting. Really, everything was exhausting, but he didn’t have a choice in saving the world. He had no choice in going to school either, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t completely pointless. If there was one thing he was jealous of Tobias over, it was that he didn’t have to go to school anymore.

Marco passed Mr. Tidwell’s room between his second and third periods and his hands went numb. He looked in and saw a substitute teacher filing some papers in Tidwell’s desk. Marco overheard her telling one of the students that Tidwell had an unexpected family emergency and had to suddenly move out of state. Marco balled his hands into fists and felt his pulse in his neck. The Yeerks were covering up his death. His students wouldn’t even know he was gone. Marco forced himself to move onto third period. At least it would be easier to deal with for him, as the person who murdered Mr. Tidwell, if no one brought it up.

He gathered huge stacks of makeup work at the end of each class, including from Nora, and got a lecture from his English teacher. More “I expect more from you” crap. Next year he’d have to work harder to seem stupid so the teachers would have appropriate expectations. If there even was a next year. The only teacher who didn’t hassle him, surprisingly, was Mr. Halloran. In fact, Mr. Halloran was giving him kind of a wide berth. Marco’s dad must have shared some choice words with him, indeed.

After lunch, Jake stopped him in the hall, and Marco tensed, worrying something was up. Jake just wanted to do the pretending-to-be-normal song and dance, though, and ribbed Marco about finally deigning to show up for school. Marco joked back, but his mind was on other things. 

At the end of the day, Marco went to his locker and piled all the work he’d accumulated into his backpack, almost breaking the zipper forcing it closed. He grunted when he swung it onto his back and hunched under the weight. Good thing he could morph away the hernia he was going to get from hauling this bag across town.

He caught the city bus going out toward Cassie’s place, and this time he walked to the barn instead of bypassing it for the forest. He looked around -- no one was there except the cages of sick and injured animals lined up along the walls. He slipped out of his backpack, and it fell to the ground with a thud. He walked over to the chart of chores hanging on the wall, which Cassie and her dad signed off on throughout the day, and scanned for something he could do to make himself useful. 

He assumed he could probably handle cleaning the water bowls for the safer animals, so he pulled off the hair tie he kept on his wrist, piled his hair up in a messy ponytail, and got to work. He quietly and carefully opened the cage of a nervous rabbit to remove the old water. He cleaned the bowl under the faucet in the corner, inspected it, and filled it with new water. He replaced it in the rabbit’s cage. Easy enough. He moved on to a cage that contained a gopher with its tiny arm in a splint. He took out the water bowl and crouched next to the faucet to wash it out.

“Marco?” He turned at the sound of Cassie’s voice. “What are you doing?”

He finished filling the bowl and put it back in the cage with the gopher. “What’s it look like? I’m helping.”

“Why?” She gave him an uncertain look and peeked in at the gopher. Marco tried not to be offended; did she think he was going to do something to it?

“Isn’t that what you would do?” Marco asked.

“I’m not following,” Cassie said, but her voice was gentle and her expression was soft. Today Marco was glad she didn’t want to hit him. After all, Cassie was strong, and even though she was also short, she was still taller than him. 

Marco sighed. “I… You.” He frowned and looked up into the rafters. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing, but he felt like he always said the wrong thing to Cassie. He settled on, “Y’know.”

Cassie’s eyebrows furrowed but Marco noticed a hint of a smile. “I think I know.” She offered a hand, palm up. Marco winced at her, but took her hand. It was rough, for a girl’s hand, but her grip was warm and gentle. She led Marco over to the bench next to the stables. They sat together for a moment before Cassie spoke again.

“There are some things we’ll never see eye to eye on,” she said softly. “But in the end, we want the same things. And I know you care about people. That’s why you do the things you do.”

“Sure…” Marco murmured. He still didn’t know exactly what he wanted to say to her or how to say it. 

“It’s okay,” Cassie reassured him. “I know you’re not here to apologize. And you don’t have to. What happened, happened. All of it. It’s done. We accept it and we move forward. Maybe I should apologize, for not acknowledging that sooner.”

“I wish I could’ve done things differently. I didn’t have time to think of something better,” Marco said.

Cassie squeezed his hand. “We both wanted to save Ax. We both agreed to do what we did. We didn’t realize it would be so bad, or maybe we didn’t want to see it while it was happening. I know. I was there. But you didn’t force me to do anything. I wanted to help before I knew how you felt about Ax. And after? Well… I think you would also do anything to help me if Jake was in trouble.”

Marco said with no hesitation, “I would.” They shared another moment of silence before Marco said, “You know _everything_ about me now. That’s horrifying.”

“Marco, we spend most of our time together wearing bathing suits and running for our lives. There’s not a whole lot about you I didn’t already know.” 

“But now it’s more than a suspicion,” Marco deadpanned.

“I won’t lie. Being in your brain… I wasn’t surprised. But it was overwhelming. It’s not a place I want to live,” Cassie admitted. 

“Tell me about it,” Marco snorted.

“But you don’t disgust me,” she added immediately. “I’m disturbed by what happened and by some parts of you. But being able to see all possible outcomes at once, even of horrible decisions -- we need that. We need you.”

“I know,” Marco said without ego or pretense. “Cassie, when we saved those peace movement Yeerks, they were all just people. They were friends with each other and their hosts -- living regular lives, trying to stay out of the war… I can't afford to see all our enemies as people. It messes with the clear, bright line.” He didn't have to explain. She knew what he meant because she’d seen it.

“Don’t worry,” Cassie reassured him. “I can do it for you.” She let go of his hand and patted his knee. Then she pushed herself up using her own knees as leverage. “Do you really want to help?” 

Marco stood and brushed his hands off on his jeans. “Yeah. I’m grounded, so I have to be home before five. But yeah.”

She let him do general cage maintenance while she took the animals out for check ups and to administer their meds. He cleaned out the water, changed their bedding, and gave the cages a quick wipe down before Cassie replaced the animal. 

Marco caught Cassie smiling as she put an opossum back in its cage. “What?” he asked. She smiled even more, unable to be even the slightest bit coy. Marco put his hands on his hips and lifted his eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing!” Cassie said with a giggle. “I was just thinking it’s nice to be working with you on something normal. I wasn’t sure if we would ever get along.”

“We don’t get along, but are you getting at something?” Marco examined his fingernails and flicked some dirt out from under his thumbnail.

“Just that if you ever wondered, you totally did have a huge crush on Jake, for like, forever.” Cassie shoved her hands into her overall pockets and made a wide-eyed, innocent face when Marco glared daggers at her. “And then Rachel, of course.”

“Can we just agree that you’re going to pretend you were never in my head and never bring up anything you learned from that experience again?” Marco snapped.

“I didn’t need to read your mind to know either of those things!” Cassie said. “I just didn’t know you didn’t know. It’s weird how out of touch with your own feelings you are.”

“Okay, yep. Very cool. There’s a shovel out back? I can just bury myself back there? Great, doing that now. You wanna join me? Plenty of room in the ground.” Marco jerked his thumb over his shoulder. 

“It’s not a big deal,” Cassie said gently. “Anyway, Jake needs us both to look out for him.”

“Well, at least you’ve got that right.” Marco toed the ground. “It did take both of us to save him from getting frosted tips.” 

They both groaned and laughed. It was good to let go of the tension Marco had been feeling around Cassie, even if they were both still reeling from their too-close-for-comfort experience. Marco and Cassie didn’t have much in common, but they did have Jake, and he was enough to keep Marco invested in maintaining a civil relationship. At least, that was why Marco thought he’d come. But Cassie, true to form, had been able to make him feel a little better.

Marco was also glad that, unlike Tobias and Jake, Cassie didn’t really try to talk to him about Ax. She knew. She left it. He appreciated that. They worked on the cages a little longer before Marco asked Cassie what time it was.

She looked out the barn door, gauging the sun and the shadows lengthening into the barn. She squinted and tilted her head. “It’s a little after 4:30.”

“Did you seriously just tell time by the sun?” Marco scoffed.

“No, there’s a clock over the door.” She grinned and pointed. 

Marco laughed and rolled his eyes. “I’ve gotta get going,” he said, going back to his backpack and hauling it up to his shoulder.

Cassie wiped her brow with the back of her hand and smiled earnestly. “Thanks for stopping by. It means a lot.”

“Yeah.” Marco backed away toward the door. He wanted to avoid any more heartfelt conversations. He was at his quota for the next couple years. “See you next time we call a suicide pact.”

“See you.” Cassie went back to shining a light in a fox’s eye.

Marco walked away from Cassie’s farm and back to the bus stop, caught the bus back into town, and made it back to his house by five. The door was still locked and the lights were off. He felt a cold weight in his stomach until he turned the light on and saw the note on the fridge:

_Dropped Euclid off at the vet. PTA meeting tonight. NO VISITORS._

_\-- Dad_

Marco let out a relieved breath and put his hand over his chest, trying to steady his racing heart. It sucked that even something as normal as coming home to an empty house could trigger panic. 

Either way, he was unexpectedly alone, which meant he was going to put off his makeup work even longer and just enjoy some quality TV time. He flung himself over the arm of the couch and wormed up so his head was on the opposite end. He put his arms up and stretched out. At his full length, his toes almost reached the other end of the couch. For sure, he was still growing. He hadn’t made it that far last week. 

Marco grabbed the remote off the coffee table and channel surfed, eventually settling on _Unsolved Mysteries_. He muted the TV after the credits sequence and laid back to wait for the commercials to pass, jiggling his foot and chewing a nail. 

The show was back on, and Marco unmuted just in time to sit up straight in his seat. He stopped breathing. The room felt like it was spinning.

No way. No, no, no.

There was an Andalite on his TV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it, that's the end. If you haven't read it in a while, that's more or less the intro to #40 The Other and the sequel fic (which I'm posting next week!) will be addressing #40 directly. So I hope you're ready for that FUN RIDE. And really, I hope you enjoyed this fic, I hope you continue to read the sequels I have planned, and please follow me on [my tumblr](http://acavatica.tumblr.com) for more or less constant fandom rambles, lots and lots of shipping, fanart, and updates to my writing. 
> 
> Thanks so much for following me on this exciting journey through my very first fanfic. Thanks so much to my betas, [IoniaFletcher](http://archiveofourown.org/users/IoniaFletcher/pseuds/IoniaFletcher) and [kelbrid](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelbrid/pseuds/Kelbrid). Thanks to [fairkid-forever](http://archiveofourown.org/users/fairkidforever/pseuds/fairkidforever) for being an encouragement and an inspiration. Thanks to [mops](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mops) for being the owner of this corner of the fandom and letting me borrow it. Thanks to K.A. Applegate for hurting my heart since I was eight years old. Thanks every single person who gave me kudos and especially if you commented because I treasure every single one.


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